Laws Of The Less Traveled Road
by curlyk03
Summary: COMPLETE! Rory meets someone over the internet and develops a relationship. What if the relationship was far more real than she thought?
1. Road

I own Nick, Kyle, Shayna, Evan, and maybe Austin. Not sure about that one. I own nothing else.

Will probably end a TRORY

Thanks to my beta, Jackie! You're awesome:0)

Please review, and enjoy "LAWS OF THE LESS TRAVELED ROAD"

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She couldn't decipher whether the object in front of her was a rock or a step, but either way, she stepped onto it and continued forward relieved that she didn't fall off the other side. She felt a hand on the small of her back pushing her gently.

"Stop pushing me." She mumbled to the person.

"Are you hung-over?" She turned her head to the voice and squinted.

"Nick?"

"Yea, Nick. Remember me? You know, your twin brother?"

"I know who you are, and for the last time, no, I'm not hung-over."

"Rory, I only asked you once. So then what? Did you pull an all-nighter with the dreamy boy on the internet again?"

She mumbled something and he gave her a look, "I was on the phone with him." She said louder. He gave her a look and shook his head.

"Look, you're coming late into the year which is even weirder then just coming in on a weird year, and you couldn't even bother to be well rested?"

"He's a good kisser." She said defensively.

"You've never met him!"

"Okay, but he _sounded_ like a good kisser. I mean the details of the way he was tracing his tongue—"

"Eww! Jeez, Rory!" He said interrupting her with a disgusted look upon his features. She smiled and shrugged as they entered the doors of her new school and his old school. The hallways were foreign and filled with pretty people. Some were lip locked against lockers, girls were flirting with boys in a seductive way as their skirts were hemmed past what she thought was the legal limit. Boys were leaning against lockers and checking out the girls making no attempts of making it discreet.

"So, tell me, which group are you normally involved with?" Rory asked as they continued down the hall.

He pointed to a circle of about four guys all surrounding a girl as she talked animatedly to the rest of them. They weren't drooling over her, and in return she wasn't flirting. It seemed friendly. "That's my group, come on, I'll introduce you." She followed him.

"Hey Shay, sorry to interrupt, but I brought someone with me." She nodded and looked at him to bring forward the newcomer. The guys all directed their focus on him.

"Uh guys this is my sister, Rory. Rory, these are my friends. We've got Austin, Kyle, Tristan, Evan, and Elizabeth Shayna, but we call her Shay." They all nodded and looked her over, but not in the sexually way. They were seeing what kind of person she was. They all looked to each other and nodded. They all looked to Shayna, who shrugged and nodded.

"Uhhhh, she looks fine to me. Not too slutty." Nick smiled and patted Rory's shoulder.

"So, where did you want it?" Evan asked. He was about 5'10'', brown hair, and brown eyes and had his right ear pierced.

"Want what?" Rory asked confused.

"Hmm, I'm thinking her hip…or maybe shoulder blade. Austin, what do you think?" Kyle asked. Kyle had almost black hair, blue eyes, and was about 6'. Austin has platinum blonde hair and brown eyes. He stood 6'1'' and was obviously a surfer.

"Umm I don't know, maybe her wrist." And apparently he was from England. Rory looked back and forth at each of the guy's faces. Shayna was smiling and rolling her eyes at the boys. Her eyes landed on the last pair of eyes. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 6'1'', tannish skin. He was obviously, Tristan.

"You, tell me what they're talking about." Rory demanded.

"Me?"

"No, the blonde behind you." She retorted.

"A tattoo. They're talking about where they think you should get your tattoo." He said. His eyes were dancing.

"A tattoo? And why would I get one?"

"Did I not mention this?" Nick asked. Rory shook her head. "We sorta named our group, and each of us has a tattoo. It's kind of like a thing to symbolize our loyalty to the group."

"And if for some reason, I feel as if this doesn't work out, would I be killed?" Rory asked seriously. They all smiled and chuckled, except Shayna.

"Woah, she asked you guys a question. Have you learned nothing from my ramblings?" Shayna has strawberry blonde hair, hazel eyes and was about 5'6''. She was pale and had two holes in each ears. They all stopped and looked at Shayna expectantly.

Shayna rolled her eyes. "If the guys weren't such idiots, your answer would be, no. It's just a thing to represent the fact that if anyone were ever in need of help or anything, you'd be there for him or her. If for some reason someone breaks away, if something goes wrong then they would be expected to there. Of course there are exceptions, but that's pretty much it."

"Now how hard was that to tell me?" Rory asked shaking her head and thanking Shayna. Shayna smiled and nodded. "So, what does this tattoo look like?" Shayna turned around and lifted up her shirt a little bit. It was on her lower back. She looked at it carefully and saw it was her initials ESW with a small shape right under it. It looked like a shield of some sort. The whole design wasn't bigger than the face of a watch.

"So, do you guys have a name? The group I mean." Rory asked.

"Stingrays." Kyle answered. Rory nodded and thought about it long and hard.

"Mom would never let me get a tattoo." She whispered to Nick. He touched his back.

"Right there. She was okay with it."

Rory nodded and shrugged, "Where should I get it?" Smiles appeared on all of their faces as they started to talk a lot about the fact that they now had a newcomer, and there was no longer just one girl, but two. Rory was having fun, but she kept glancing up and every time, she saw Tristan's eyes staring back at her.

**So? What do you think so far? Everything will be explained next chapter, don't worry. Thanks, Kiki.**

**POLL – My Next Piece – VOTE FOR TWO! Pick your first choice and second choice.**

**No Longer Sequel?**

**Time Sequel?**

**Laws Of The Less Traveled Road (This Story)?**

**From War To Family?**


	2. Street

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

Thanks to my beta Jackie!

I hope you enjoy:0)

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BACKGROUND (that I promised):

Rory was in another school up until now. She's about 16 and starting Chilton a few months into the school year. She's a sophomore. Lorelai and Chris are not together, but instead of having just Rory, she also had Nick. Therefore, Rory and Nick are twins. They both live with Lorelai in Stars Hollow. Rory has dated a few guys, at the moment it doesn't matter whether she dated Dean or not. As you can tell, Rory is a bit out of character, but it won't be too extreme…at least I don't think so. And now, any questions, ask me! And now, the next chapter!

CHAPTER TWO:

"Hey Ror?" Nick peeked his head into Rory's room. She was sitting at her desk typing on her computer.

She turned her head around, "What's up?"

"You're already finished the homework?"

"Yup." She said smiling. He walked farther into her room and saw she was instant messaging someone.

"Who ya talking too?"

"Oh Jeremy."

"Jeremy? Who's that? Someone from your other school?"

"Nope, it's who you like to call 'Dreamy Boy'. I'm just telling him about the new school since I haven't talked to him in a few days." Nick nodded.

"Does mom know you do this?"

Rory looked down, "No, but don't tell her. I'm waiting till she's in a really good mood." Nick nodded.

"Kay, well I'm gonna catch some sleep. I'm walking you up tomorrow by 6:30." Rory groaned as he left her room. She turned her attention back to the computer screen.

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"Rory, COME ON!" Nick sighed pulling Rory out the door.

"Why must we be late…again?" He asked as she shut her car door. She mumbled a sorry and moved with him towards the intimidating building. Shayna greeted them at the door.

"Sleeping late again? Better be careful, Charleston doesn't like lateness. 'Frowns upon it' actually." She said smiling and using quotation marks. Rory smiled back at the girl she'd become friends with so quickly. Rory signed in at the Wellness Center and walked with Shayna to their first class. Nick had already ran ahead.

"So how's that tattoo? Feel okay?" Rory placed her hand lightly over the spot and nodded.

"A little sore, but that's it."

Shayna nodded, "Are you okay? You seem sorta down?"

"Nah, I'm alright. Just tired." Rory said smiling as they entered their classroom. All through class, Rory couldn't get her mind off of a particular person. Although they hadn't said much to each other, she still couldn't shake off the feelings his eyes sent through her. Tristan. That was it. She didn't know his last name, or anything about him. Yet, he intrigued her. Soon she was on her way to lunch.

"Hey Rory, are you in any clubs yet?" Austin asked as she paid for her food.

She shook her head, "No, I don't even know what clubs there are here." He nodded.

"Well, today at lunch there's a CHAOS meeting. It stands for Chilton Acting On Stage. It's pretty much an acting club, or a theater club. But it's chaos." He said smiling, "You welcome to come if you'd like. Since you're new, we can make an exception."

Rory thought about it and shrugged, "Yea sure. Why not?" She followed him to the Theater building.

"Sup guys?" Evan asked running up to them.

"Evan's in the club too." Austin supplied. Rory nodded understandingly and entered the building. Carved into stone were the words, "The Bryn Miller Dramatic Workshop". They went into the house and saw a bunch of people sitting on the stage eating their lunch.

"Come on, let's eat." Evan said climbing the steps and taking a seat next to a small group of people. They sat down and started to eat.

"You're Rory, right?" A girl asked.

She nodded, "Yea, I'm sorta new here."

"Cool, I'm Page. Well Elizabeth Paige, but I go by Paige."

Rory cocked her head, "Does everyone who has the first name Elizabeth go by their middle name?"

"Umm I don't think so, why?"

"Well because you do and so does Shayna." Paige laughed.

"I never realized that! That's funny, but no. Not all of us go by our middle names." They were interrupted when they heard a voice quieting them all down. Rory looked up and was surprised to see the voice belonged to Tristan.

"Welcome everyone, umm it looks like we have a new face today, so we'll do some easier crap today. Umm any ideas?" He asked the group. A guy raised his hand.

"Carl, go ahead."

"That hitchhiker game. You know where there's two people and they pick up a hitchhiker?"

"Okay, let's do it." Tristan pulled out three stools and placed them in a row center stage. "Pretty much, there's two people in a truck and they pick up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker has a personality, anything you want," Tristan started to say. "The other two people have to take on the personality and play along. The number one rule of improv is that you can _never_ say no. Make sense?" There was a murmur of yes' around the stage.

"Great, I need two people. Bella and Casey." He called on two girls. They made their way up and sat down. "Hitchhiker?" He pointed to a guy and he made his way. The game started and soon, the audience was laughing hard as they picked up hitchhikers. There was a lady going into labor, a guy with a massive erection, some one talking about how they'd explain to their kids the birds and the bees which proved to be one of the funniest, and of course a criminal escaping the police.

Rory watched. She noticed all of the girls didn't care what people thought of them. It was so unlike the other girls she had met so far. The guys weren't flirting with the girls either. "All right you guys! That's it for today. Next week we'll start talking about how we're going to go about the winter play. Mr. Dawson was looking for people to audition. There's tech, stage crew. Keep it in mind. I'll post sign up sheets for the crews next week." Tristan said as everyone dispersed to their afternoon classes. Tristan ran up and caught up with Rory.

"So you're interested in acting then?"

Rory shrugged. "I don't know actually. I've never really acted before. Austin just suggested this club today, and I thought, why not? It seems like a lot of fun though." Rory breathed.

"You should try out for the winter play. None of us know what it is yet, but the experience is great." Rory nodded.

She stuck out her hand out, "I'm Rory Gilmore, by the way." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. She blushed.

He smiled and stuck his hand out, "Pleasure to meet your Mary. I'm Tristan Dugrey." Rory pulled her hand away.

"I just told you my name was Rory."

"I like Mary better."

"Well I like Rory better. Girls are smarter than boys. Surprised you didn't know that."

"So back to the original topic." He said running a hand through his blonde spiky hair.

"I've never done acting before, why start now?"

"You may like it. Come next week to the club and try one of the games. See if you like it." He said shrugging.

"I can do that." She nodded.

"Good. Now let's go, or we'll be late for Geometry." He said as they walked faster towards the Science Building.

I'm convinced this chapter sucks. I didn't know what to write so this is my third attempt at it. I personally found this one the best of the three. Anyways, please review! Thanks, Kiki.

**POLL RESULTS!**

**Laws Of The Less Traveled Road (this story) and From War To Family.**

**I'll try and go back and forth between the two stories. That means next story updated is From War To Family. :0)**

p.s. jackie, the update of the chapter you fized wouldn't upload, so i had to just post this one :0( 


	3. Avenue

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

Disclaimer: I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

A huge, HUGE thanks to LoVe23 who beta'd this chapter within a few hours when she wasn't even my original beta for this story.

I hope you enjoy:0)

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She groaned as her alarm sounded. She hadn't gotten into bed until after 2am. She couldn't keep doing this. Jeremy was taking all of her energy away, and it wasn't just because he cut into her sleeping time. She'd been overly busy with schoolwork and everything so she didn't have a lot of time to talk to him. When she was talking to him the night before, he made it clear that he didn't like that she didn't have as much time as before to talk to him. Being the person she is, she apologized and told him she'd try harder to make an online appearance every night. She sat up and immediately clutched her forehead as the pain throbbed through her entire scalp.

"Rory! Oh good, you're up." Nick said looking into her room. She groaned.

"Uhh, don't talk so _loud_." She said frowning. He cocked his head and walked into her room.

"If you don't mind me saying this, you look like shit rolled over twice." He said, taking in her appearance.

"Mmm…thanks." She muttered, burying her head in her pillow.

"Late night?" He asked, amused by her actions.

"You could say that." She mumbled from her pillow.

"How late?" He asked, pulling the pillow from her face.

"Late." She snapped, glaring at him.

"I need more." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"4 hours." She muttered, looking away.

"Of _sleep_?" He yelled, eyes wide with shock.

"Yea…" She said, still unable to look at him.

"God, Rory! You need more then that! We've got a Bio test today, and you _can't_ be tired for that!" He admonished.

"Bio test? Shit! If forgot!" Rory said sitting up quickly with an alarmed face.

"Are you kidding me? You _do_ realize this test was a quarter of our grade, right?" He said. Although he'd lowered his voice, his tone still held mild annoyance.

"_Yes_!" she said getting out of bed and searching for bits and pieces that she could put together to resemble her uniform.

"So, what are you going to do then?" he asked softer.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I don't know. I've just been so busy with everything and Jeremy doesn't help any." She said in a defeated tone.

"Help with what?" He asked, not sure what his sister was talking about.

"He got really angry with me last night when I told him I didn't think we could talk so much anymore. I suggested that we might have to cut our talking back from every night to maybe twice or three times a week." She explained.

"And what happened?" He asked, when she didn't offer up any more info.

"He wasn't so keen on the idea." She said brushing her hair. Nick didn't respond. He just stood there and watched his twin. After a couple of minutes, he finally spoke up.

"I know he isn't really any of my business, but as your brother, I think I have a right to know things." He said in a serious voice.

"Okay…?" She said, in a puzzled tone.

"How old is this guy?" He asked.

"20." She mumbled, as she looked for something on her dresser.

"_What_?" He practically yelled.

"I know, I know. But I'm being smart about it!" She said, trying to placate him. This obviously didn't work.

"You're kidding, right? You're not even 18 yet, and you're talking with a 20 year old guy that you don't even know! I'm sorry, but somehow you saying that you're being smart about this doesn't seem possible." He ranted.

"It's complicated." Was all she offered.

"No it isn't. You're talking to a 20-year-old man…guy…_ugh! _Whatever he is…that you don't know! Did I mention that if he's a pedophile he could probably track you down and murder you?" He said, still unable to believe what his sister had been keeping from him.

"What are the chances of that?" She asked, annoyed.

"If you have to ask me that question, then obviously you shouldn't be doing it." He responded, still clearly upset with her.

Rory sighed as she lifted her book bag onto her shoulder. "You're not going to stop me, and you're not going to tell mom. Understand?" she asked making sure that he knew she wasn't joking. He shook his head and looked at his watch.

"Come on, or we'll be late for school." He said sighing. She nodded and followed him into the car. The ride to school was silent except for the soft music that was coming from the stereo. Rory's head was leaned against the passenger door window as she concentrated on the side of the road. Her thoughts went to the guy she'd been talking to online.

She'd met him in an online chat room, and he seemed honorable enough that she gave him her personal AIM screen name, and email address. She'd given him her phone number a few weeks after they'd started to talk. As of now, he had yet to call her. She sighed as her brother hummed along to the radio. She knew her brother was only looking out for her, but instead of trying to explain or getting him to calm down, she freaked out on him.

She lifted her head. "I'm sorry," She mumbled. He turned his head briefly towards hers. "I just…I know you're trying to be protective of me, but I'm almost 17, and I can take care of myself." She said in defeat. He nodded before responding.

"I just see trouble written all over this Rory. You need to understand that although this guy might be this amazing guy online, he could also be an ex-convict put in jail for rape, murder, sexual harassment…."

"…Or actually be the nice guy he seems to be." Rory said sternly. Nick sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not going to argue with you on this, and for right now I won't tell mom. Even though I think you're being a complete moron. Also, you know you can borrow my bio outline. Maybe you can use it to help you cram and get something decent on it." He said kindly.

"Thank you." She said, grateful for his help.

"You're welcome." He said. It was silent the rest of the way to school.

By lunchtime, Rory's head was pounding. She stumbled in the hallway as she approached her locker.

"Woah, you okay?" She heard a voice ask. It was Tristan.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just tired." She said rubbing her eyes. He nodded.

"Well, there's a CHAOS meeting today, if you're up for it. Maybe you'll join?" He asked.

She shrugged. She actually hadn't thought about it, but now that he brought it up, she figured she might as well get her mind on something else. She was sure she had gotten a low grade on her Bio test, and she knew she couldn't afford it to be low.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked, eyebrow raised.

She nodded, "Yea, just a lot on my mind. Not that you'd care. You just want me to join your club." She said, a sudden change in personality. She'd gone from sad to pissed off in less than 5 seconds. He put his hands up in defense.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, so don't accuse me of anything. I need to get to the theatre building. I'll see you in 10 minutes...that _is_ if you decide to grace us with your presence." He said annoyed before he turned around and left. Rory grumbled and sank down to the floor, head in her hands.

"My brain." She whimpered. She lifted her head up slowly after a few minutes and looked around. She frowned and slowly walked to the computer lab. She signed on and stifled a groan when she saw Jeremy's screen name on her buddy list. Within seconds, a window popped up.

_Jeremy: Hey babe! I wasn't expecting you on so soon. Wanted to talk to me?_

_Rory: I didn't think you'd be on. I'm just not having a good day._

_Jeremy: Why?_

_Rory: I was up late last night with you._

Jeremy: Right, well I'm sorry about that. I should've let you go to sleep, and I shouldn't have reacted like that. I've been talking to you for awhile, and I know you like school, so I should respect that. No matter how much I enjoy talking to you.

Rory stared at the screen. He was apologizing? She shook her head.

_Rory: It's alright. So what are you doing on?_

_Jeremy: Just surfin' the web. How about you sweetie?_

_Rory: Yea same. Just checking my email, wasting time. Ya know._

_Jeremy: Sure do._

_Rory: I'm sorry, but I need to go. The bell just rang._

_Jeremy: Okay. So are you going to be on later tonight?_

_Rory: No, I have a rough draft due tomorrow and it'll take me awhile to write, if that's okay._

_Jeremy: Alright, it's no problem. I'll talk to you later then. Don't study too much or you'll study your beauty right outta you._

Rory: Bye.

Rory signed off the computer and left the lab. She shook her head, trying to wake herself from the dream.

"I could've sworn he was mad that I didn't have time for him anymore." Rory said to herself. She sighed and walked to her next class, stomach growling.

**A/N: Sorry about this GIANT wait, and sorry about the chapter not being great. I sorta just got my muse back for this story, so it's no longer on hiatus, just on the low flame. :0/ Not sure when Chapter 4 will be up. Depends when I can write it, and what comes out. I know what I'm kinda doing with this story now, and now I just need ideas of how to execute it, so please be patient:0) Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**


	4. Boulevard

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

Disclaimer: I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

A million thanks to my beta, who managed to read over this story when she had others to do. :0)

I hope you enjoy :0)

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"…And this energy that we use is called…" The teacher started but sighed. "Come on people, we _just_ had a test on this."

"ATP." Nick said, flipping through his notes.

"Good, and we get this from which cycle?" She scanned the room, searching for a dazed individual. "Ahh, Rory Gilmore." Rory's head shot up, her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry." She said. "Can you repeat the question." The teacher gave her a disappointed look, but repeated the question.

"ATP, we use this for energy. What cycle of cellular respiration produces ATP?"

"Uhhmm…the Krebs Cycle." Rory said unsure.

"That's it? That's the only cycle in which we produce ATP?"

"Umm…and Glycolysis." Rory said, even more unsure.

"Rory, I'm disappointed. Can someone please help Miss. Gilmore? Tristan, please. Tell us." He said motioning toward the blonde at the back of the room.

"ATP is produced in all three cycles of cellular respiration. Glycolysis, Krebs, and Electron Transport Chain."

"Thank you, Tristan." The bell rang. "Don't forget to start reading the next chapter, Midterms are fast approaching!" Everyone gathered their stuff and left the classroom. Rory lagged behind, sighing every few steps. As she rounded the corner in the hallway, she bumped into Tristan. It'd been a few weeks since their last encounter and since then she hadn't made it to any of the CHAOS – Chilton Acting On Stage meetings.

"Woah." He said, startled and trying to rebalance himself.

"Sorry." Rory said averting her eyes and turning away.

"Yea…no problem." He said staring at her back as she quickly shuffled away. He shook his head at her retreating body.

"TGIF, TGIF, TGIF…" She kept chanting to herself. She'd have plenty of time to sleep now. There were no real tests next week, just review for midterms and she was planning on taking advantage of that. Sleep had been beckoning her for several weeks, and she still hadn't been able to give in. Looking at her watch, she decided spending her free period in the computer room would be all she could focus on. After logging onto her computer and her email, she quickly scanned through her emails. When she saw that she had one from Jeremy, she immediately opened it.

_Hey babe!_

_I hope you're doing well. Is it strange that I miss you? Haha. Whatever, you're fun to talk to I guess. Anyway, remember how you were really tired last night? Well, I was thinking…and you can reject it. I'd be cool with it, but do you wanna maybe talk on the phone tonight for a little? It's a lot faster than typing to each other, but whatever. It's totally up to you. I would like to hear that voice of yours though. (Wink). Lol, anyway. Email me back._

_Jerm_

Rory smiled at his letter. Calling him did make more sense. It would ensure him that she really did need to get off when she falls asleep on the phone. He had once given her his number, so all she had to do was scroll through her contacts and press the send button. She thought about it hard, then pressed the Reply button.

_Hi!_

_Yea, but I don't like talking on the phone so, just…warning you. (smiles) And my voice is probably really chirpie or whatever so sorry about that. And I'll call you this afternoon since I NEED to catch up on my sleep. Talk to you soon…literally! Till then,_

_Rory_

"There." She said to herself as she hit the send button. "Perfectly fine." She pressed the sign off button and pushed her chair in. She turned around and once again collided with Tristan.

"God, why are you everywhere?" She yelled, being caught off guard.

"Well, technically I'm not. I have yet to conquer being omnipresent but have no fear. I'm working on it." He said with a wink and a smile. At least she was sort of talking to him.

"Yea, okay. _Whatever_." She said, starting to brush past him.

"_Okay_…I don't know what your deal is, but this is ridiculous." Tristan said, stopping her.

"My deal? I have no deal. Just jerks like you annoy me." She snapped.

"Hey, that's not fair _princess_." He said, narrowing his eyes at her. "You don't even know me! And I've _never_ done anything to you that was even remotely mean!"

"Mary isn't mean?" She replied incredulously.

"_Mary_ is a term of endearment! It's a good thing to look innocent and pure! It's a nice change of scenery." He replied waving off her remark.

"Okay, one; I'm not your girlfriend, you can't have endearing terms for me, two; I am NOT innocent, and three; I freaking have a boyfriend so shove off." Rory said, before walking out of the room. Tristan scoffed at her retreating back. She has _way_ too many issues. He started to walk towards a computer when he saw that Rory's wasn't completely logged off. He guessed him scaring her made her forget to click the confirm key. He pressed cancel and the page opened to her email. Her inbox was flooded with read and replied messages to a man named Jeremy Pickens.

"I guess that's her boyfriend." He said. He clicked the first message, and the one she'd just replied to popped up. He read it over quickly. "So it's an internet boyfriend? Very interesting." He said before forwarding himself all the emails and deleting the sent email from her sent email folder. He logged her off completely and left, forgetting to do what he originally came for.

Once he was in the hallway, he started to seek out Nick. He knew it wasn't his place to interfere, but Nick needed to know. Even if it was harmless, which it seemed to be. Tristan scanned the crowd, finally seeing Rory's brother. He pushed through the crowd, until he came right in front of him.

"Hey Nick?" He called out, getting the other boy's attention.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Nick asked, looking up from his locker.

"Have you ever heard of a guy named Jeremy?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Jeremy…uhh, yea! He's friends with Rory." Nick said, thinking. "Why? Do you know him?"

"No, I just saw her emailing him earlier." Tristan said, shrugging. Nick glanced at Tristan, wondering what this was about.

A smile appeared on Nick's face. "You like my sister."

"What? No. No way. She just said she had a boyfriend, and you've never mentioned that." He stammered.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think what she's doing is a great idea, but she's been friendly with this guy for over half a year. I've read some of the emails, he seems nice." Nick said, shrugging. It was the truth. He wasn't completely comfortable with it, but he figured that Rory would come to him if something weren't right.

"So…she _does_ have a boyfriend?" Tristan asked.

"Yea, I guess. I don't even know." Nick looked around distractedly. "Hey, what time is it?"

Tristan looked at his watch. "Just before 3:20. Why?"

"Crap, I have to talk with the Bio teacher. ATP and me just aren't getting along." Nick said, rolling his eyes. Tristan chuckled and nodded, watching as Nick hitched his backpack onto his shoulders and walked away.

"That was groundbreaking." Tristan deadpanned. He walked to his locker, and loaded his books into his backpack to study over the weekend.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. It had been a long day, and she hated confrontation. It was the worst thing in her mind. Plus, Tristan was coming up with good insults and her exhausted brain had failed her. She was too tired to come up with the quick quips she was so used to returning. Once she got to her room, she unzipped her bag and turned it upside down, allowing all of her books and binders and papers to fall and scatter on the floor. Throwing her backpack to the side, she sat down in front of the mound of information she was going to become intimately familiar with in the next few days.

"Hey Rory, mom's going to Luke's. Do you want anything?" Nick asked, peeking his head in through the partially closed door.

"Umm, the usual." She replied, barely glancing at him. Nick nodded and left, shutting her door completely. After trying to organize her schoolwork, and failing, she stood up and took off her skirt, replacing it with a pair of sweatpants. Walking around her room, she grabbed a rubber band and tied her hair back, getting it off her face.

She reached for her Geometry binder, hoping to learn all of the background material, but as she lifted it up, it revealed her cell phone. She groaned and picked it up, flipping it open, and then turning it on. She mindlessly pressed buttons on her phone until her eyes widened at the place it brought her. Jeremy's number was glaring her in the face, taunting her with the ten digits that yearned to be dialed. Shaking her head, she dropped her phone and lifted her binder onto her lap.

"Did that, know that…that brings me too…Latin." Rory looked at her review sheet and whined. "Shit." She said to herself, quietly. She closed her binder and placed it down, replacing it with her Spanish binder. She didn't have a chance to open it before her phone started to ring. She picked it up, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" She said distractedly.

"Hey, Rory! It's me, Shayna." The caller replied.

"Oh, hey. How are you?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Ehh, I'm okay. Look, I know you're probably busy or whatever, but a bunch of us are going out tonight to see a movie. I was wondering if you wanted to join?" Shayna asked eagerly.

"Oh. Umm well, I kinda have a lot of work to do," Rory started.

"I figured." Shayna said in sympathy.

"Well, what time are you guys going?" Rory said a bit hesitantly.

"We were going to get something to eat around 6:30 and then catch something after 7. You can come for any or all of it. Doesn't matter."

"Yea, sure I'll come. I just need to get some work done before, but I'll see you guys tonight."

"Cool. So just curious, do you know when you might be coming?"

"Mm, most likely after dinner, so I'd just meet you at the theater. Is that okay?"

"Yea, that's perfect. So we'll get there around say, 7:30?"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Alright, awesome! I'll see ya later."

"Yup."

"Oh, and Rory?"

"Yea?"

"Maybe you can sleep before you come. You've been exhausted." Shayna offered, concern showing in her voice. Rory smiled.

"I will." Rory flipped her phone shut and rolled down onto her back. She looked at the clock. 4:00pm, and she had yet to call Jeremy.

"Shit." She said softly. She lowered her phone and fingered it gently. 4:01 it now read. Deciding to get it over with so she could sleep, she scrolled through her contacts and went to Jeremy's number. Sighing deeply as her stomach started to rumble with nerves, she pressed send. Her stomach dropped at the ringing sound. She bit her lip in panic as she realized she didn't know what they would talk about, or what would happen. She hoped he was in a good mood though. Maybe she didn't even have to worry. Maybe he wouldn't pick up.

"Hello?" Of course, luck wasn't on her side.

"Oh umm, is this Jeremy?" Rory asked, hesitantly.

"Yea, who's this?" He asked a bit gruffly.

"Oh umm, this is Rory, the…" She answered, nervously.

"Oh, hey Rory!" He said, his voice suddenly sounding quite friendly.

"Hi." She shut her eyes and berated her fluttering stomach.

"I didn't expect you to call so soon. With your email I figured you'd want to sleep some after school." He chuckled. Rory smiled nervously.

"Yea, I was going too, but I decided against it." She sighed.

"Ahh, you wanted to hear my voice, no doubt." He said cockily. Her nerves soon started to fade slowly as she laughed.

"Of course." She replied a bit more confidently.

"So why don't you like talking on the phone? You have a real sweet voice I must say. Not at all chirpie-at least not in a bad way." She blushed at his compliment.

"I don't know, not very good at it? Okay, that's a lie. I'm pretty good at talking-it comes from my mom. I have a gift-from my mom of course. I'm able to pull any dead end conversation out of the ditch and revive it. I do it quite often actually. That's a plus…" She began to ramble.

"Woah there. No need to tell me your whole life story all at once." He said cutting her off, but chuckling none the less. She blushed again.

"Sorry. When I get nervous I tend to ramble. It goes along with that whole ability to talk anytime thing." She abruptly shut her mouth, cutting off all other pending ramblings. She heard his soft laugh and it soothed her.

"Why are you nervous? You've known me for awhile." He said softly.

"I don't know. Up until a little bit ago you weren't _all_ that willing to be second priority to school." She said before stopping herself. She held her breath hoping he didn't get upset.

"Oh, well I'm still not, but I've been reminded of my good ole high school days. Let's face it, I was being a jerk. You've never even met me, of course I come second." He explained. She sighed in relief.

"Yea." She said nodding. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a huge yawn.

"I think all that exhaustion is finally catching up to me." She said, as she fought off another yawn.

"Aww babe, maybe you should go to sleep then." He said sweetly. Her heart swelled when he called her babe. It was one thing when he said it online, it was another to hear him actually say it.

"But I feel bad." She whined.

"Well it works out in my favor if you go now. I have work in about a half hour anyway so I have to get ready, and when I talk to you next-on the phone-it'll be for much longer." Rory nodded to herself.

"Okay, sounds good." She said, realizing he couldn't see her nodding.

"Alright, sleep tight Rory."

"Thank you. Have fun at work."

"Ugh, yea I'll try to." He said joking.

"Bye."

"Bye." He said and she pulled the phone from her ear when she heard the click.

"That wasn't so bad." She said out loud as she dropped her phone on the floor and plopped onto her bed, and fell asleep within minutes, despite her still fluttering stomach.

**A/N: Sorta short, I know. But the next will be longer. Promise! Anyway, sorry for the long wait. This story is really hard to write because it's been awhile since I experienced anything like this, so bear with me. :0) Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**


	5. Lane

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

Disclaimer: I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

I hope you enjoy :0)

She looked into the mirror that Monday and applied the last bit of concealer. She actually smiled at herself. She'd really needed sleep and now that midterms had been over for a few weeks, she was finally getting it.

Jeremy had become more of a steady brick and seemed willing to fit into Rory's schedule in the way that she needed it. None the less, she still seemed to talk to him much more than she should.

"Yo, Rory!" She heard Nick call. She let out a deep breath and picked up her backpack to join Nick in the hallway. Nick looked up from the ring of keys he was going through and did a double take.

"Are you wearing makeup?" He gave her a bewildered look.

"It's just concealer and lip gloss."

"Yea, okay. Whatever you need to do to feel pretty. Come on." He led Rory to the car.

When they got to school, there were murmurs throughout. Nick stopped to talk with a classmate as Rory continued on, now completely familiar with the school having transferred in halfway through the year.

"Hey girlie!" Shayna called as she fell into step with her. Rory gave her a smile as they continued through the hallway. They slowly approached a corkboard with a bunch of people standing around it.

"What are they looking at?"

"I'm guessing the announcement of the spring play. That's the theater board." She paused. "Come on, let's see what it is." They pushed through the people until they were almost at the front.

A giant piece of paper cut into the shape of a rose took up the board. Inside the flower were the words, "Romeo and Juliet: A Comedic Tragedy by William Shakespeare". Underneath were show dates, the location to pick up a script, and lastly a grid for people to sign up for auditions.

"Oh my god! I like, love this play so much!" Yelled a girl who was standing next to Rory. Rory cringed at her volume and nodded before looking away. Her and Shayne pushed there way out of the crowd and walked towards their homeroom.

"Think you're going to try out?" Rory looked up, startled at what Shayna said.

"Oh, umm…no? I'm not really the acting type."

"But you've been coming to CHAOS meetings…you _do_ realize that, that is an acting club, right?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course I know it's an acting club. But it's Shakespeare…"

"You love Shakespeare. How many times have you read Romeo and Juliet?"

"Romeo and Juliet isn't my favorite—"

"Rory." Shayna gave her a look.

"The third time was over winter break—but that doesn't mean I have to do the play!"

Shayna rolled her eyes. "Of course it doesn't. But it'll be fun! Just try out. I'm going to and I know Austin and Tristan are going to, too."

Rory sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But don't expect me to do it if I get in. I have no desire to play some court lady." Rory quipped and sat in a seat.

"Good enough for me!" Shayna beamed. "Austin! Rory's trying out!"

Austin sauntered over to the two girls and smiled.

"Hells yea, Gilmore. 'Bout time you did something fun!" Rory scoffed.

"I'm a lot of fun!" Both Shayna and Austin raised their eyebrows. "Okay so I'm not the party-till-I-pass-out type, but I still have fun!"

"Well, now you'll have more fun." Austin grinned. They all faced forward as the teacher walked into the room.

Before lunch she signed up for an audition three days away. She figured that would be enough time to give a halfway decent recitation of the required monologue. As she walked into the lunchroom, she started to regret it. Jeremy and her already had so little time to spend talking to each other. If she actually did this, that would mean virtually no time. But then she reminded herself that she was only doing it for her friends and she wasn't actually going to do the play.

She sat down with her food at a lunch table and started nibbling on her sandwich. She felt a gust of wind and turned to see Tristan as he plopped down in a chair next to her. "Do you know how much caffeine is in one of those Red Bulls?" He blurted. His cheeks were rosy and his hair was in many different directions.

"Did you just wake up?" Rory laughed.

"What? No. I just told you I drank Red Bull. Were you not listening?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Anyway, how are things with you and Jeremy?" Before she could answer, Eric sat down followed by Shayna.

"I was wondering that too!" Eric said and bit his apple. By now, they all knew about Rory and her "boyfriend". Tristan had confronted her about it a few days after he found out. She had left her computer logged on by accident and Tristan had seen her emails with Jeremy.

She had to confess and since then, they all asked about him once in a while. Usually they wondered if there were any plans to meet.

"He's good. He's going back to school in the fall." They nodded.

"Why was he not in school?" Eric asked.

"He's always been kinda vague about that. Something about a girlfriend and it didn't work out but he was miserable seeing her always so he dropped out and ended up getting a decent job." They nodded again.

"Fuck my life." They all turned to see Nick sat down defeated. Rory was happy that the focus was off of her. While she was trying to be open, there was always some tension about the subject. She knew her friends weren't _that_ supportive of her online endeavors, but they kept their mouths shut. Nick still hadn't told Lorelai which Rory was grateful for.

"You know that project for history I spent all that time on?" They murmured confirmation. "Well guess what? I got a 64 on it. A 64! How the hell did I get a 64 when I got an 88 on the midterm that covered the same material?" He groaned and shook his head.

"How did you do on your bio lab?" Eric asked, hoping for better news.

"A 91, but that's _science_. I want to go to college for history, not freaking science." There were a few supportive comments, but nothing of importance. The mood was broken when Austin tripped over a chair when he was sitting down. From there, it was mostly smiles.

XXXXXX

"RORY!" She shook awake as Nick's yell penetrated her ears violently.

"YEA?" She yelled back.

"YOUR PHONE KEEPS RINGING! I'M TRYING TO PLAY MY PS2, BUT NOO." She rolled her eyes and got out of bed, almost tripping on the stairs. She picked up her phone and saw that she had 6 missed calls from Jeremy. She sighed and held her phone up in thanks to Nick. He wasn't paying attention as he was already playing his video game again.

She walked upstairs as she redialed his number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

She bit her lip before speaking. "Hey, it's Rory."

"Rory! Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you for like an hour." She was taken aback by his tone of voice.

"I umm, I fell asleep?"

"Is that a question or are you telling me?"

"No, no I'm telling you! I'm sorry, I just had a long day and I fell asleep on my bed."

She heard him exhale deeply. "No, I'm sorry. I just care about you, you know? I thought something happened and I got worried."

Her heart fluttered at his words. "No, I'm okay. If I think I'm going to fall asleep I'll let you know?"

"That's all I want babe. So you're safe and sound?"

"I am. Nick is downstairs playing video games. He's the one who woke me up actually."

He laughed lightly. "So, Miss Gilmore, I was thinking…" He trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Would you be up for coffee one day this week?"

Her stomach swirled as she processed his words. "I…would love to." She didn't realize the words had come out until she heard them.

There was a slight commotion in the background. "Great! Hey babe, I have to go, but does Thursday work for you?"

"Thursday…Thursday…" she wondered out loud. "No. I have play tryouts."

"…Play tryouts?"

"Uh yea. I'm trying out for my school play."

"Ah, well how about Wednesday?"

"Wednesday works for me. Should I meet you somewhere?"

"Let's do Café DuMont. Know it?"

"I love that place!"

He chuckled. "Great, well then I shall see you at 4:30 at Café DuMont."

"Sounds good, see you then!" She said shyly and hung up. Then her stomach dropped. Her and Nick shared a car. There was no way she'd be able to go without telling Nick. Café DuMont was a fifteen minute walk from Chilton. If she told Nick she was going to stay late, she could maybe get away with it. She figured she could try it. What was the worst thing that could happen?

**Hellooo. Remember me and this story? Yea, probably not. Anyway, I'm going to start on the next chapter after I submit this. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that I'll get back into this story. I also have no idea who used to beta this story for me, so if you want to beta, let me know! Oh and please review! :0) Love, Kiki**


	6. Pike

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

Thanks to my beta Jackie!

I hope you enjoy:0)

"Why aren't you auditioning today?" Tristan asked. Rory looked up from her book.

"Well, I signed up for tomorrow."

"But why didn't you sign up for today?" He was eyeing her. She shrugged and kept shifting but went back to reading.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, annoyed.

"Nothing, why do you keep asking me that?" She was getting more and more annoyed at Tristan's annoyed demeanor. It was becoming a vicious circle.

"Because you're fidgeting and you can't stop smiling. And while I may be hot and all, you haven't looked at me once, which leads me to believe you're not smiling because of me."

Rory looked at him. "You would be correct."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "You are so annoying. Why won't you just tell me?"

"I like my secrets." Tristan shook his head. They were the only ones at the library table as it was a study hall. The others were tending to other things like speaking with teachers, or doing computer work, or in Austin's case, trying to get out of a detention.

They sat in silence for a while doing their work when suddenly Tristan dropped his pencil.

"Please don't tell me you're that stupid. _Please_." She looked up and gave him a confused look. "Rory." Her eyes widened as he spoke her name is a low, dangerous sounding voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"When?"

She rolled her eyes. "When what?"

"When are you meeting him?"

Her jaw slacked. "I, umm…I…"

"When?"

She sighed and looked down, biting her lip. "After school."

"Today?" His eyes were wild. A meek "yes" was all Rory could muster.

"Does anyone but me know?" She shook her head. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Mr. Dugrey!" A librarian called. "Watch your language!" He put his hand up in an apology and lowered his voice.

"Tell me why you would think this is a good idea."

"He's a good guy, Tristan! Its no more riskier meeting him than it is to meet anyone else."

"Uh yes it is. Most people you know aren't actively looking for other people. This guy is actively in search for people. The reason for doing this, is not known."

"He's not going to murder me."

"Maybe not on your first date."

"Why are you doing this, Tristan?"

"Because you're my friend."

She sighed and gave in slightly. "I'm going at 4:30 to Café DuMont. If you want, you can pick me up at 6:00 and drive me home."

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yes!"

"You're old enough to decide. I'll have my phone if you need me. If you need me, call me from the café phone and tell me that you're 'helping a friend change a flat tire'. Okay?"

"Fine." She acquiesced so they would stop talking about it. He nodded and left it alone, but still, the bad feeling he had never ceased.

XXXXXXX

She took a deep breath as she stood outside the small café. She peered inside. There were several young looking men inside but almost all had their backs to her. She would have to go inside to figure out which one was him. She took yet another deep breath and pushed open the door. She slowly walked to the front, hoping she'd figure it out without embarrassment.

"Rory?" A familiar yet different voice spoke her name. She turned towards it, and there sat Jeremy. He looked a little older than his pictures, but still much the same. Still very handsome.

"Jeremy?" She tried, slightly cringing.

"Yea, who else would it be?" He cracked a smile. She nodded and walked towards him. He surprised her by giving her a tight hug. "You're even more beautiful in person!"

She blushed and dipped her head. He smiled and nodded at her reaction. "Would you like some coffee?"

"God yes." She sat down where a cup of hot coffee sat waiting for her. She took a long gulp and savored it with her eyes closed before she set her cup down. Jeremy was watching her intently.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, you're just fascinating. I've never seen someone enjoy coffee like that. It's like you just breathed it in."

She grinned. "It's a thing in my family. We always jokingly say our blood is really coffee."

He smiled and nodded, taking a sip from his own coffee. "So, how was school?"

"Long. I love school, but I wish I could just read all day."

"That sounds boring."

"I thought you liked reading."

"Oh, I do, but enough to do it the whole day. That's a bit of an overkill." A moment passes. "So, you're doing the school play?"

"Trying out for it, really."

"What play?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

He raised his eyebrows. "A classic. Would you do it if you got in?"

"Probably not. I have no interest in being a court person. They are always portrayed as sluts anyway."

He nodded. "And perchance you were given the role of Juliet?"

She snorted. "There's no way that would happen."

"And if it did…?" He nudged her.

"I guess I'll figure that out if it happens—"

"_When_ it happens." He interrupted. She rolled her eyes. Conversation seemed to flow for a while. Before she knew it, it was nearing 6pm. He sensed her change in mood.

"What's wrong?"

"My friend is picking me up at 6. I didn't know how long we would be here, so I told him to come at 6."

"Him?"

"Yea, he goes to school with me."

"I see." He nodded slowly.

"Oh we're just friends, honest. I just didn't have a ride home, so he offered."

"I'll drive you home."

Rory open and closed her mouth. This is a difficult decision. She liked Jeremy more and more, but Tristan would flip. Nick would too, but Tristan was the only one who knew she was here. She nodded.

"Okay, let me just call him." He seemed pleased with her answer. She took out her cell phone and listened to the ring.

"What's wrong?" Tristan answered.

"Relax, nothing. Jeremy is giving me a ride home." There was silence.

"Tristan?"

"What, Rory?" She frowned at his hostile tone.

"Nothing…I just wanted to make sure you were still there."

"I am. Whatever, Rory. Just be careful. Okay?"

"I will. See you tomorrow." She hung up the phone and faced Jeremy with a smile.

"Should we go soon, then?" He asked. She nodded slowly.

"My mom is expecting me home at 6:30." He nodded. As finished his cup of coffee, he stood up. She widened her eyes when she saw his car.

"This is your car?" She gave him a bewildered look.

"Yup! Mercedes Benz SL65. It's my baby." She looked stunned. He gave her a small pinch to try and get her out of her reverie. She jumped.

"Sorry." She shook her head and smiled as he opened the door for her. She got in and he shut the door rounding the car to get into the driver's seat.

"Alright, direct me?" He started the car as she told him the initial directions. She settled into the leather seats, inhaling the lingering combination of new car smell and the smell of leather.

She was comfortable with him. She had to admit that she was very nervous to meet him at first. But he seemed like a decent, good guy. She rolled her eyes thinking about Tristan's worrying. But she was glad that she and Jeremy had made this step in their relationship. She could only hope good things would come out of it.

**A/N: Working on the next chapter now! Let me know what you think?**


	7. Circle

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

I hope you enjoy :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX

It happened 15 phone conversations, dozens of online messages and four dates later. The moment she had been anxiously awaiting. Jeremy had asked Rory to be his.

"And you agreed?" Nick raised his eyebrows. She had told him and the others about their meetings. They were just as thrilled as Tristan was.

"We kissed last night. Well, he kissed me first. It was wonderful."

Shayna licked her lips. "Hey Rory, just be careful, okay?"

"Yes! I'll be careful. I'll make up safe words! I'll call you in the middle of a date! Just please stop this. I _am_ being careful." The group nodded and remained silent.

"So you agreed?" Nick asked again. Rory couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, Nick. Of course I agreed." He nodded. Tension was high.

"So the cast list for the play should be up by the end of the day. Mr. Dawson said he was working out a small detail and then he would post it." Austin announced, changing the subject. It worked. Rory looked around at the table to see them all engaged in conversation. All of them but Tristan, who looked at her, something clearly on his mind.

XXXXXXX

_Romeo…._Tristan Dugrey

_Juliet_…..Rory Gilmore

_Paris….._Austin Murphy

_Lady Capulet_….Aubrey Williams

Wait…what?! Rory reread it four times before she believed that she was cast as Juliet. She turned to Shayna who was smiling.

"Well, look at that!"

Rory furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"The casting is logical and not surprising at all."

"I mean, Tristan and Austin make sense, but how was _I_ cast as Juliet? That doesn't make sense!" Shayna laughed at Rory's flustered movements.

"Sure it does. You look like a china doll, you definitely don't look like someone who was used as a humping toy for a guy, you have passion, you actually like Shakespeare. How are you _not_ perfect for this role?"

"Because…because…I'm Rory! I don't _do_ acting!"

Shayna smirked. "Well you do now." Rory grumbled and sighed.

"You're a pain in the butt." Rory muttered.

"It's the only way to get you to do something. You're like the most stubborn person I know." Rory couldn't help but nod. They turned and slowly pushed their way out of the crowd and down to hall to their homeroom. When Austin walked in, he spotted the two of them immediately and made a beeline for them.

"Hey Juliet."

Rory scoffed. "Is that a new nickname?"

"Hells yea!" This seemed to be his favorite phrase. He said it ALL the time. He gave her a little nudge. "I promise it'll be awesome, okay?"

Rory smiled. "Thanks. I guess Harvard will like the well-roundedness it gives me."

"That's the spirit! A little too academic for my taste, but I like it!" Austin cheered. Shayna smiled. The more Rory thought about it, the more it seemed kind of cool. She loved Shakespeare. She could definitely grow from this.

There was just one problem—Jeremy. His dislike for the lack of time they had to spend together was no secret. She wasn't sure how much taking on the school play would cut into her time with him. There was a mandatory meeting after school. She figured she'd find out then.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Guys!" His voice didn't seem to catch anyone's attention.

"GUYS!" That time it did. The student's simmered down until it was virtually silent in the theater. Mr. Dawson looked satisfied.

"Welcome to Chilton's production of _Rent_. If you're not supposed to be here, please leave." He waited a moment and grinned at the students' faces. "Just kidding, _Rent_ wasn't approved. This is Romeo and Juliet. I trust everyone who needs to be here is here?" He didn't wait for confirmation and he didn't take attendance of any kind.

"Great! There are some new faces to Chilton's acting scene, so welcome to those of you. Great to have you. Even if you don't have the role of Juliet or Romeo, you are still an asset to this project and we of course hope you stay. If you _are_ Juliet or Romeo, buckle your seat belts! You two set the mood." He paused and looked around at the students gathered in front of him.

"Okay, any questions before we do a read-through?" A girl in the back raised her hand. "Yes, Miss. Weiss?"

"Yea, umm like what time are we like gonna be done?"

He looked at his watch. "Good point. I want to do a read-through. We'll take a quick break after questions so you all can tell whoever you need to what time you need to be picked up. I think 5:30 is a safe guess. Mr. Evans? A question?"

"Nah man, sorry. Trying to kill a bug."

"Just don't get bug guts on my seat." Mr. Dawson grimaced and pointed at Rory's raised hand. "Miss. Gilmore?"

"Do you know what the time commitment will be?"

"Ah! I do not, but a pretty good estimate would be two hours following school at least 4 times a week." Rory nodded and sunk into her chair as Mr. Dawson called for a seven-minute break. She didn't know what to do. Eight hours a week? The amount of time she'd have to see Jeremy was very little…especially since she still had yet to tell Lorelai. She probably had to do that soon.

During her internal monologue, Tristan came up beside her. "Are you okay? You look a little conflicted." She turned to face him.

"I don't think I should do the play."

He raised an eyebrow. "Umm, yea you should."

"Let me rephrase; I don't think I _can_ do the play."

"Why not?" She looked away from Tristan's questioning glance.

"I just think I'll be too overextended and I'll fall behind on my schoolwork."

"You mean you'll have less time to spend with Jeremy."

"Yes." Her head fell.

He sighed. "I know you're not too versed in the relationship world, but you do know that this isn't something that he has the right to be upset over, don't you?" She shrugged. "Shit, Rory. Use your head."

"Woah, guys. You two look way to serious." Austin said as he walked up to them. Rory tried to smile. Tristan rolled his eyes. They could hear Mr. Dawson calling everyone inside to continue the meeting.

"How are you two getting home?" Tristan asked.

"My sister's coming." Austin said.

"I'm not sure. I didn't get a chance to call my mom."

"Want me to drive you home?" Tristan offered.

"If you could, that would be great!" Rory's features smoothed out. Tristan smiled and nodded before the three of them went inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks for the ride home!" Rory said as she stepped out of Tristan's car.

"Not a problem. I got your back." He winked. Rory rolled her eyes even though she had a feeling that he really meant it.

"Night!"

"Goodnight, see you tomorrow!" She watched as he drove away before heading inside to see that no lights were on.

"Hello?" She called out. She figured at least Nick would be home. Sighing, she made her way to her bedroom where she plopped down on her bed, facedown. Then her phone rang.

"What?"

"Uhh, is this a bad time?" She immediately sat up and smiled at the voice.

"Not at all! Just had a really long day and I literally just got home."

"Really? So you haven't even started your homework?" Jeremy asked.

"Nope."

"I guess that means I can't see you tonight."

She looked at her clock. It read after 6pm. "No. Probably not. But on the bright side, you were right!"

"About?"

"The cast list went up today for the play. I was casted as Juliet."

"That's the bright side?" His tone sounded bitter. She was slightly taken aback.

"It seems impressive that _I _was casted as her."

"It seems that you don't want to spend time with me." A confused look fell over her face.

"How could you think that? That's not true. Let's hang out tomorrow. My mom won't be home till late, so you can come over."

His tone immediately perked up. "That sounds great! I want to spend as much time as I can with you!" She smiled before continuing on the conversation. Everything after that was light and fluffy.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

On the way home from school the following day, Rory brought up Jeremy in the car to Nick.

"He's coming over tonight?" He clarified for the 3rd time.

"Yes. Why is that so hard to grasp?" She asked.

"I don't know…you've just been in contact with him for like months now and he's never been willing to meet any of us."

She waited a moment before she spoke. "He doesn't know you're going to be here. I didn't mention that."

"Oh, great." He replied sarcastically.

"It'll be fine. He's coming over at 6, so we'll probably order some pizza when he gets there. Should we order anything for you?"

"Buffalo wings, please." Once they got home, they went their separate ways to change clothes and work on homework. Rory finished around 5:30 and went back downstairs to see Nick playing video games. She took a seat next to him.

"I'm nervous." She blurted out. Without pausing his game, he turned his head slightly to indicate he was listening. "He's never been here before. What if you don't like him?"

"You've always done your own thing. No matter what mom or I tell you, you're going to make your own decisions."

"What you guys think is important to me, though!"

"Yea, we know, but just because I have a certain opinion about someone doesn't mean that you should agree or follow suit." She nodded in comprehension.

"That didn't help my nerves, but thanks anyway." He laughed.

"Here," he handed her the remote. "Kill some zombies." He handed her the game controller. She rolled her eyes but obligingly took it. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"He's early." She stated as hit the pause button and gave the controller back to Nick. He shrugged and continued where she left off as she left the get the door.

Opening the door, she saw Jeremy standing there holding a single long-stemmed red rose. "For you." He extended the hand that was holding the rose. Smiling, she accepted the flower. He smiled back and moved in for a kiss.

"You look beautiful." Her cheeks flushed as she stepped back to let him in.

"This is a nice house! You've lived here your whole life?" She nodded and watched as he took in his surroundings. Suddenly, he froze.

"Are you okay?"

"What's that sound?"

She smiled in slight relief. "My brother is playing a video game. Left 4 Dead. Do you know it?"

"Your brother is here?"

"Yes, want to meet him?" She asked him hopefully.

"Of course, baby." He took her hand and tilted his head so she would start walking.

"Hey Nick! Come meet Jeremy." They heard Nick put down the plastic box and walk towards the door.

"Hey, I'm Nick." He extended his hand towards Jeremy. Jeremy hesitated before he shook it.

"Jeremy. It's nice to meet you finally."

"Ah, same here. Rory can't stop talking about you." Rory's cheeks immediately darkened. Jeremy laughed and pulled Rory close to him. "Anyway, I'll just be in there. I'm playing the carnival level and it's fucking weird." With that, Nick turned and went back to his game.

"So, Jeremy, what would you like to do?" He grinned.

"I'd like to see your bedroom."

"Uh…okay." She said confused.

"We won't do anything you don't want to. I just want to be _alone_ with you. We haven't had much time together." She gave a smile in return and nodded before leading him to her bedroom. He took a long moment to take her room in. He nodded and walked slowly towards Rory.

"You look so gorgeous." He looked down at her, licking his lips as his eyes trailed down her body. She shied away slightly.

"No, don't do that. You look amazing." She relaxed as he circled his arms around her waist and started a gentle assault on her mouth. He deepened it and slowly moved her back so they were lying next to each other on her bed.

His hand started to move under her shirt, gently caressing her side. She shivered and leaned further into him. He moved his hand up more before he felt her shake her head and push his hand down. He moaned into her mouth softly.

"You're such a good kisser." He breathed as he reattached his lips to hers. His hand moved back up to her bra before she pushed it away again.

"Come on baby. I want to feel you. I want to make you feel good. Please?"

She shook her head. "I'm not ready for that."

"It'll feel good, I promise. If you don't like it, I'll stop." He kissed her neck, lightly grazing her with his teeth as he put his hand over her bra without an objection. He moved his hand on her and she let out a soft whimper. He smirked to himself. Too easy.

**A/N: Woops. I mean, it's **_**only**_** been a year and a half. Anyway, thank you for still reading! I think this chapter might have been a little rushed, but I needed to get something happening so I could continue writing this. It just felt a little stagnant before. Let me know what you think, and as always, please keep reading!**


	8. Highway

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

I hope you enjoy :)

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"Hey Tristan! Wait up." Tristan stopped and turned around to see Nick running towards him. He shook his head. He wasn't eager to talk. He had just gotten over the flu and was still feeling the lingering symptoms.

"What's up, man?"

"You weren't in school on Friday and you didn't return any of my calls this weekend."

"I had the flu."

"Yea, I know. Your mom told me. Sucks. But why didn't you call me back?" He asked, anxiously.

"I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to be talking on the phone." Tristan paused and realized something was actually wrong. "I'm getting the feeling I should have called back anyway."

Nick shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. Sorry for bothering you." He made a movement to walk away.

"Jeremy?" It stopped Nick. Without a pause he came closer to Tristan.

"What?"

"It has to do with Jeremy, doesn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, Rory mentioned that he was coming over after school on Thursday. That means you met him."

"Do you get the feeling something's off about him?"

"I've never met him."

Nick furrowed his eyebrows. "Rory said you picked her up the first time they met." Tristan recalled the day.

"I was supposed to pick her up, but she called saying Jeremy was driving her home instead." Nick sighed. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing I can pinpoint, he just kinda rubs me the wrong way, ya know?" Tristan nodded.

"Have you talked to Rory about this?"

Nick snorts. "Please. Three minutes into him being at our house they went up to her room. I didn't see them for a few hours. Fuckers were supposed to order me buffalo wings, too."

"They're having sex?"

"I don't know, you ask her. Not something I'm really interested in knowing." Tristan looked passed Nick and saw Rory coming down the hall. She had a friendly smile on as she passed people she knew. She spotted Tristan and Nick and made a beeline for them.

"Hi Rory, are you having sex?" Tristan asked as soon as she was next to them.

"Oh fuck, are you serious? I'm outta here." Nick said as he threw his hands up and walked away. Rory turned a deep shade of crimson.

"I don't think that's any of your business!" Rory admonished.

"So yes?"

"I'm not answering your childish questions."

Tristan just stared at her.

"God, Tristan. No, I haven't. Do you really think I'm like that?"

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I just don't trust him. And no, I don't think you're like that at all."

"Good, now mind your own freaking business." She turned on her heel and walked away. With a shake of his head, he trailed behind her to their first class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My feet hurt."

"At least you get to kiss Tristan! I hear girls are really upset they weren't picked for Juliet because of that." Rory glared at Austin.

"Insufferable. All of you."

"_Someone's_ a little grouchy today!" Austin sang.

"I didn't get much sleep last night. Jeremy and I got in a fight."

Austin stopped packing up his stuff and turned to her. "What about?"

She looked down and bit her lip. "He's a little bossy and gets upset when he doesn't get his way."

"Sounds like someone else we know." Austin teased and looked in Tristan's direction.

"No, it's different with Jeremy. You know Tristan is just being stupid when he does it. Jeremy's actually holds power."

"So what was the fight about, exactly?"

"You can't tell the others." He made a zipper motion over his mouth. "He gets pushy when we're alone together. We had our 2 month 'anniversary' last night and he was a little presumptuous."

"Did he stop?"

"Yes, eventually. I'm okay, it just pissed me off. He called me a prude—which of course is also how Tristan views me." Austin sat down next to her and took in her features. He felt he couldn't really comment on the whole Jeremy situation. Both of his parent's had remarried people they met on online dating websites so he wasn't as critical as the others were. Besides that moment, she usually seemed pretty happy with the relationship.

"You know I'll be honest with you…you have an innocent face. You look young, to be clear. It's not a bad thing, Rory! Hell, it's kinda admirable that you haven't slutted yourself out like most of the girls who go to Chilton. Tristan knows that too. He just likes seeing the rosy cheeks." As if on cue, her cheeks reddened. Austin grinned and pointed at her face. "See?"

"Yes, I'm aware that my body betrays how I'm feeling." Rory said deadpanned. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her turn. She saw Tristan slowly approaching them.

"Hey Mary, almost ready to go?" He had been driving her home from play practice most afternoons by this point. Nick was too lazy to do it and Lorelai was always at work when play practice let out.

Rory rolled her eyes at his nickname. "Yes, Satan. Let's go. Bye Austin!" She gave him a hug before following Tristan into the parking lot.

Once in the car, Tristan started the conversation. "I've come to a decision."

"Have you, now?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Before this whole Jeremy-me-protecting-you thing, we had a great banter and now it feels a little tense. I'm going to allow you to have my trust on this, as long as you become the Rory I first met 5 months ago. Deal?"

She grinned. "Hells yea!"

"Ugh, you really have spent too much time with Austin." They both laughed.

"I like his accent. He's so dreamy!" She batted her eyelashes for emphasis.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they got closer to Stars Hollow. As he pulled down her street, he squinted his eyes and leaned forward in his seat.

"Are your grandparents at your house?" He asked of the car sitting outside the Gilmore house.

"No?" She looked at him questioningly and then followed his gaze. "Wait, that's Jeremy's car." He pulled up behind the other car.

"That's weird. Ever since I told my mom I was seeing Jeremy, he's sort of avoided the my house." The conversation hadn't been easy and Lorelai had fought hard against it. But Rory was stubborn and Lorelai eventually gave into her, making sure she met Jeremy and that Rory would be smart.

"Do you want me to get out with you?" Tristan offered. Rory shook her head and thanked him for the ride. She walked up to the porch and saw Jeremy sitting on the stairs, waiting for her. She stopped short. She suddenly wished Tristan had come with her.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Rory asked, tentatively.

"What am _I_ doing here? What the fuck was _he_ doing here?" His outbursts didn't phase her much anymore. It was a cycle. He would flip out before he would calm down, apologize, and repeatedly tell Rory how important she was to him.

"I told you that Tristan sometimes drives me home after play practice."

He stood up. "Yea, _sometimes_. Not _every day_."

"Tristan and I are friends! He's allowed to drive me home." She glared back.

"Fuck that, you're my girlfriend." He took a deep breath and spoke more gently. "He's in love with you, which of course is a problem for me considering I feel the same."

"Tristan isn't in love with me. That's ridiculous." She scoffed at the idea. Her head processed the second part of his sentence and she froze.

"What?" She exhaled.

He smiled softly and approached her slowly. "I have fallen so in love with you, Rory. You are my life." She nodded.

He cocked his head, in anticipation. She said nothing. She only stared.

"Rory?"

And because she feared another outburst, she closed her eyes and said it back. "I…love you too." It sounded foreign and so wrong to her ears. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. They'd only been dating for two months. She heard him let out a breath.

"God baby, it feels so good to hear you say it to me." She smiled weakly.

"Uhm, so I have to do homework. I have a test tomorrow." She pointed towards the house. The sharp intake of breath she heard from Jeremy told her that was the last thing she should have said.

"We just profess our love for each other and you want to study?"

"Well, no, but I—"

"God damnit. You never have time for me, do you? You see me when you feel like it and you never make time to see me. You spend all your time on school and with Tristan. And in a few weeks you'll have to fucking _kiss_ him? What am I, trash to you?!" He spat.

Rory looked taken aback. "What? No, of course not! I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't want to spend time with you. And I'm sorry I'm doing the play." She realized she actually was sorry, even though she was finding play practice to be a place where she could just relax. "I'll try and find more time, I promise. Come inside. We can hang out for a little before I study." He smiled.

"That a girl." He kissed her so gently that she barely felt it. He took her bookbag and her hand and led her into the house. As soon as the door shut he spun around and pinned her against the door. He leaned down and kissed her so deeply that she had to break the kiss to take a breath.

"God I want you baby." He ran his hands down her sides and cupped her butt. He pulled her against him. She gasped as she felt his erection push into her hip. "That's for you. That's how much I love you. Will you let me make love to you? _Really_ show you what you mean to me."

"I can't." She whimpered. "I'm a virgin."

He licked his lips. "I remember. I'll be gentle."

"I'm not ready." He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Always fuckin' no with you."

"Rory?" They both froze at the sound of Nick's voice.

"Yea?" She called out shakily.

"I heard a noise, just wanted to make sure it was you."

She directed her attention back to Jeremy. "Please don't be frustrated with me."

"No, babe. Not frustrated with _you_. Just with the situation. These last few days have made me realize how much I love you and it kills me not to be able to share our love in every way—emotionally _and_ physically." She nodded, but inside was drowning. Was this manipulation?

"Just give me time." He nodded.

"I'm gonna go, then. Let you spend some time with Nick. Love you, sweetie." He kissed her and left. Rory turned around as he shut the door and shook her head. She went onto her computer and looked at the news. George Bush made a stupid decision, Rebecca Galt, a student in Boston, was reported missing and now she was found with J.P. cut into her dead, naked body, and a toddler, also in Boston, was killed in a car accident. Drunk driver, the article said. 'Well, that's depressing', Rory thought before she went to work on her homework.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few weeks later and things seemed to be better between them. Saying 'I love you' back was getting easier and more natural. She also seemed to see him a lot more. More and more he would wait at her home till she got back and he was also started to pick her up from school after practice. She was walking to practice when Tristan came up beside her.

"Hello lover." She wrinkled her forehead and laughed.

"Opening night is next weekend. Afraid?"

"Nope. I've got the best leading lady next to me."

He pushed the theater doors open and walked in after her. She smiled widely. "I really do think you need help." They walked to a room in the back where everyone always met first. The door slammed behind them.

"I wonder where everyone is." Tristan said as he turned on a light. Rory shrugged.

"Maybe they're not here yet?"

"No, that's not it. We're 10 minutes late." Rory turned around and noticed the sign they missed before they shut the door behind them. 'DON'T SHUT DOOR—LOCK BROKEN. PLAY REHEARSAL WILL MEET IN RECEPTION LOBBY.' She tried the handle but true to the sign, it was locked.

"Well, we're screwed." Rory said as she sat down at a table. Tristan took his cell phone out and called the director.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Tristan!"

"Who?" Mr. Dawson shouted back.

"Tristan Dugrey."

"I'm sorry, you must not have good service. You're cutting in and out."

"TRI-STAN DU-GREY." Tristan spoke very slowly.

"Oh, Tristan! Where are you?"

"I'm with Rory, we're locked in the back of the theater. Can you send someone on their way?"

"Oh good, we were wondering where you two were! You're on your way? Ok, see you soon! And hurry!" The call disconnected.

"Shit." Tristan mumbled. "Double shit." The last battery bar was flashing. Not enough battery to make another phone call.

"He thinks we're on our way. We'll be here awhile." Rory closed her eyes. She stood up and walked to the couch to join Tristan.

She yawned and leaned her head back. "You can sleep. No one will come by here till after practice is over."

Rory sat up straight. "No."

"What do you mean, 'no'? You don't really have a choice, Rory."

"I'm supposed to meet Jeremy right after. He's going to flip."

"It'll be ok, he'll understand."

"No, he probably won't." She sulked into the couch. He turned his body towards her.

He frowned and put his arm around her, giving her a soft squeeze. She turned her head to look at him. "He'd be stupid to be angry at you." He said softly. He leaned down and kissed her. She froze before she started to respond. She shifted as the kiss deepened ever so slightly. When her hand touched his thigh, he broke away.

"Shit, I'm so sorry." He breathed, staring at her. She bit her lip, realizing what had just happened, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Now he's really going to flip." Tears flooded her eyes. Tristan stared at her as she silently cried.

"I'm sorry, Rory. You were just looking so sad and I—"

"He's going to be so upset. I never have time to spend with him and he says it every time we talk." His forehead creased. She was more worried about not seeing Jeremy enough than she was about having just kissed someone who was not her boyfriend.

"When did you see him last?"

"Yesterday."

"And the time before that?"

"The day before that."

"He's obsessed with you."

Rory scoffed. "What?" Apparently the kiss was now forgotten.

"He can't handle any competition, he calls you at least three times a day, more on the days when he doesn't see you, and he manipulates you into thinking it's your fault. Rory, he's sick."

"Don't say that, I love him!" Tristan froze.

"Shit, what is he doing to you?" The quietness and fear in his voice made her eyes flood again.

He reached towards her and she flinched. He withdrew his hand, appalled.

"He's hit you?"

"Just once. He promised he would never do it again." She said quickly.

"Why?"

"We were arguing. I can't even remember what it was about now. I think it was because I had to do schoolwork and he wasn't having it. It wasn't hard and he swore he'd never do it again."

"You know what kind of people hit women? Psychos."

"You're being so judgmental. You're just upset I'm not dating you!" She defended herself, her voice getting louder.

His tone matched hers. "Yes, and you want to know why? Because I would never hit you, Rory. Normal people don't do that. I'd say, 'yes, Rory, you're right. Doing well in school is important. If that means I can only see you for an hour tonight instead of four, that will be fine.' Making you feel guilty every second of the day isn't love. It's fucking twisted." She remained silent as tears streamed down her face. "He spins everything in a way so that _you're_ the one who is causing the problems in the relationship." He paused. "How could you be so smart yet so damn stupid at the same time?"

"Enough!" She shouted. "You think he makes me feel like crap? What do you think _you're_ doing?"

"I'm trying to protect you from him!"

"Protect me? My god, Tristan, get off your high horse. I don't need protecting—especially not from you."

"You really have no idea, do you?" She ignored him. "You never even looked into his background, did you? I thought you were just ignoring it, but you don't know."

She rolled her eyes. "Know what, Tristan?" She sounded so tired. So tired of everyone nagging her and berating her and trying to protect her. She didn't need stupid protection. She was being safe.

"He didn't drop out of school…he was expelled. It didn't work out with his girlfriend, which he only dated for 5 months, because he began to obsess over her and he abused her. He pushed her down the stairs once. She broke 3 ribs. People are vague about things they don't want others to know about."

"I don't believe you." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a binder. He took out a printed article and handed it to her.

"I've had this for 3 months. It's all over the internet."

Her eyes scanned over the article and the picture. It was definitely him and it scared her. "How did you find this?"

"You left your computer logged on one day in the computer lab. I searched his email address and name in google. It really wasn't hard."

"So this whole time, you knew there was really something to be aware of?" He nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You barely would give me the time of day if I even mentioned his name. Forget any in depth conversation about him." She looked back at the article and the picture. It was him with his arm around his then girlfriend. They actually looked happy. She read the description.

"Three weeks before his expulsion; Jeremy Pickens and Rebecca Galt enjoying the football game during homecoming weekend." She stopped and reread it.

"Does the name Rebecca Galt sound familiar to you?" She asked Tristan.

"No, why?" She shook her head, racking her brain. The color drained from her face. "What?" Tristan asked.

"A few weeks ago, I was online looking at the news. I never look at news. Why would I decide to look at the news randomly, on that day?"

"Is you looking at the news relevant?"

She turned to him, her lip quivering. "Her body was found a few weeks ago. The initials J.P. were cut into her skin."

It was silent. "He killed her?" She didn't feel so safe anymore.

**A/N: Woah drama! This chapter did NOT come out how it was supposed to! Blame them. They decided it was time to mix it up. Anyway. Review! :) I'll hopefully get more chapters out quickly!**


	9. Route

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

I hope you enjoy :)

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They sat in silence for many minutes before Rory spoke, her voice raspy from crying. "Who else knows about this?"

"As far as I know, only me. The others, especially Nick, do have general suspicions about him, though." Tristan said. Once again, Tristan had his arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly against him.

"What do I do?" After a moment, she felt Tristan lift his hips up and take his phone out of his pocket. The last battery bar was still flashing. He handed her the phone.

"What am I supposed to do with this? It's almost out of battery."

"It'll make emergency calls."

"Call the police, you mean?" She looked at him dubiously. He nodded. "And say what? 'Hi, my boyfriend murdered his ex a few weeks ago'?"

"Precisely."

"Yea, sure." He took the phone from her and dialed 911 himself, hoping the battery would last long enough. Rory moved her mouth to say something but no words came out.

"911, what's the emergency?" He put the call on speakerphone.

"I have some information about a murder that happened a few weeks ago."

"Okay, let me transfer you to homicide."

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"My phone is about to run out of battery. Let me give you my location in case I get disconnected. I'm locked in a room waiting for security to unlock the door." He gave her the information.

"Should I send a squad car out to help you? They can question you about the incident as well."

"If there is a free one, that would be great."

"I'll send one out. Please hold for homicide so they can get started." Of course the minute he was transferred, his phone shut off.

"Thanks, phone." He said sarcastically and dropped it into his lap.

"He's gonna go to jail." She said so quietly, Tristan almost asked her to repeat herself.

"That's kinda how it works, yea."

She sighed painfully. "I really don't need your quips right now, okay? I need a friend." He gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"I've always been your friend."

She turned her body towards him. "I know. I'm sorry I haven't been reciprocating."

"I think I love him." She said, but it sounded more like a question. He shrugged.

"I don't know, Rory. Only you know that. Just don't confuse how you really feel with how you _needed_ to feel."

"What?"

"There was a reason you said it back in the first place even though you didn't feel it at the time."

"I didn't want him to get angry again."

"So you defended yourself and told him what he wanted to hear. Don't misconstrue that with truth." She didn't say anything. After a few minutes, he looked down at her face and saw silent tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, it's okay." He said lightly.

"I'm never finding a date online again."

He snorted. "That's _not_ the solution. Online dating is fine. It's the idea that you need to be careful who you're going to meet. Even in person. You never really know what someone is hiding. And trust your friend's. They only want the best for you. And I know I would be devastated if something happened to you."

"Devastated?" She raised an eyebrow.

He nodded once, seriously. "Devastated."

"He never gave me butterflies."

"Hmm?"

"When we kissed, I didn't get butterflies."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I got them when we kissed earlier. It felt nice." Her cheeks became rosy.

"Are you hitting on me?"

"I'm looking for a rebound." He snorted and rolled his eyes. They froze when there was a noise outside the door. The handle turned and a maintenance person walked in. He pointed to the sign on the door.

"Did you two forget how to read?" The two student's both gave guilty looks. Two police officers hung back behind the maintenance person. "I'm going to leave this door-stop in so you can get out. Don't shut the door again." He pointed his fingers at them and at the officers before leaving. Rory and Tristan braced themselves as the officers came to sit in from of them.

"I'm Officer Daniels. This is Officer Preston. Dispatcher told us you have details for a homicide?" Rory just stared at them. They were both male. Daniels was in his lower thirties and Preston was middle age. Both attractive. One cleared his throat when neither teen responded.

"I'm Tristan Dugrey, this is Rory Gilmore. Rory?" Tristan nudged her.

"Rebecca Galt?" The two officers looked at each other.

"That's a Massachusetts case."

"Have you found the person who did it?"

"Not to my knowledge." Preston looked at Daniels who shook his head.

"I know who it is." She said softly. They waited for her to go on. One took out his notepad and a pen to take notes.

"Jeremy Pickens. He lives in Hartford."

"Did he admit to this?"

"No, but the article I read said the letters J.P. were carved into her body. They used to date." She trailed off at the end, the information becoming too much for her to handle. Daniels nodded.

"How do you know Mr. Pickens?" She didn't answer. "Miss. Gilmore?"

Tristan cleared his throat. "She's his current girlfriend." Both officers raised their eyebrows. One of them also sighed.

"This isn't good." Preston stated.

"Why not?" Tristan asked. Rory couldn't seem to form any more words.

"This is all just speculation. Mr. Pickens could retaliate and call you out on slander."

"Don't you have any DNA samples? Like hair or skin?"

"We have an uncontaminated semen sample, but you can't just take a DNA sample from someone. It has to be court ordered."

"I'm sorry, he _raped_ her?" Tristan sputtered. Preston nodded. Rory's body went stiff and then she leaned forward and put her head in her hands. Tristan cringed and rubbed her back. She sat back up, breathing heavily. She took her jacket off.

"Here, take whatever samples you can." She held out her coat. They shook their heads.

"That could take weeks." She sulked back into her seat. "I'm going to run this information with the detectives handling this in Massachusetts. If they extend a warrant to us, we can take him into custody." Rory nodded.

"He's supposed to pick me up. At 5:30, outside this building."

Daniels nodded. "Then hopefully it'll get to us by then. I suggest you not be here when he is." Rory nodded.

"I can drive you home." Tristan offered.

"No, can we just go somewhere really public and sit there?" He looked at her strangely but nodded anyway.

"Thanks."

"Well Mr. Dugrey, Miss. Gilmore, thank you very much for your knowledge. Here's my card if you have any other information we should know." They nodded and watched as the two officers left.

"Can we go? I don't want to be in a room alone anymore." Tristan nodded and followed her out. Once in the car, Tristan plugged in his phone. He drove away from Chilton in search of a public place.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tristan pulled into the Gilmore's driveway just after 8:30. They'd gotten a call a few hours prior saying that the Massachusetts homicide team had enough information to take Jeremy into custody. He was arrested in the parking lot of Chilton. Rory could barely keep her eyes open.

"Do you want to come in?" She looked scared.

"Would it make you feel better?" She nodded. "Yes." He took his seatbelt off and opened the door, coming around to meet Rory as she got out as well. They walked next to each other into the house.

"Rory? Is that you?" Lorelai called out.

"Yea, I'm home!" Lorelai came from the adjoining room and stopped short when she saw Rory.

"Aw honey, are you okay?" She took Rory in her arms. Rory nodded meekly.

"Mom, have you met Tristan?"

"I have! How are you, Tristan?"

"Good, Lorelai. Thank you!" The three turned when they heard Nick pounding down the stairs.

"What the fuck happened? Austin called me after practice saying police were arresting Jeremy in the parking lot and neither of you showed up for practice!"

"I really can't talk about it right now. I can't even think about it right now." Lorelai and Nick stared at her.

"What do you mean arrested? Why?" Lorelai questioned.

"Did you not hear me?" Rory asked incredulously before she shook her head and walked past her mom and brother.

"He was linked to a murder that happened in Boston a few weeks ago. That's why we were gone so long. Rory wanted to be in the most public place she could think of while everything was happening with Jeremy." Tristan supplied. He looked at Lorelai and Nick, both wide-eyed.

"Is she okay?"

"Pretty shaken up, but she'll be okay."

Rory could hear their muffled voices and squeezed her pillow tighter. Why didn't she pick up on the signs? The anger for no reason, the unrealistic want for her to spend all her time with him, hot one minute and cold the next, pushing her further than she was comfortable, and never willing to talk about his past. Then there was the time he hit her. She couldn't forget the searing pain that splashed through her cheek.

It felt like hours before the voices stopped talking. She heard a soft knock on her door.

"Come in." She lifted her head and was surprised to see it was Tristan. "What are you still doing here?" It was close to 9:30.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I just keep wondering how I missed all the signs. You know?"

"I don't think any one of us could have predicted it would be this bad. You can't blame yourself for this, Rory. And honestly, I probably wouldn't have done anything differently if I were you. I would have been just as pissed if people kept telling me to be careful." She patted the space next to her on the bed. He slipped his shoes off and sat down.

"Well, I am sorry that I always brushed you guys off. That wasn't fair either. You all were just looking out for me—more so than I was for myself." They stayed like that for awhile. Tristan turned his head towards her.

"Did you really mean what you said about having butterflies when we kissed?" She nodded. "And you never _ever_ had them for Jeremy?" She shook her head. A satisfied smile covered his features.

"What is _that_ smile about?" She asked him. It wasn't one she was entirely familiar with.

"I'm feeling like I'm better than that dickwad."

"You are. You've always looked out for me. I think it's going to be harder for me to trust people now, but I also think you're someone I can always trust."

He looked touched by her statement. "That means a lot." A brief moment passed. "So about the kiss…I'm still sorry. That was out of line."

"It was, but it was a good kiss. And it meant something to me."

"What is that?"

"That it's okay to like the good guy. To like the hero."

"Psh, I'm not a hero, Rory."

"Maybe not, but you're an above average human." He grinned and kissed her hair without a thought. He made the decision to leave his head against hers. His stomach dropped when he felt her head move from under his. It happened too quickly for him to process it. She turned her head and pushed her face against his, gently placing a kiss on his lips. His eyes closed momentarily. He looked in her eyes before silencing his internal rant and closing the distance between them, kissing her with as much passion as he could muster.

**BAM! Ok haha. I'm thinking one or two more chapters left for this story! Thanks for reading! :) Please review.**


	10. Drive

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory?

I hope you enjoy :)

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"Ready for our big smooch?" Tristan grinned, puckering his lips together. She made a kissy noise in return. "I'm especially excited for you to lie on top of me."

"I changed my mind. I'm terribly sick, I need a fill in!" Rory said, fake coughing.

"No fill ins!" Shayna said, also grinning. Rory rolled her eyes. They watched from the side curtain as the lights faded in the theater. Rory took a deep breath.

"Good luck, Shayna!" Rory whispered to her. Shayna smiled.

"You too. Break a leg!" She walked on stage to begin the prologue.

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"…Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,

To make die with a restorative." Rory took a deep breath and bent down to Tristan, kissing him deeply while he was pretending to be dead.

"Thy lips are warm." She touched her own lips.

"Lead, boy: which way?" Called a voice, offstage.

"Yea, noise? then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!" She took the sword from Tristan's side and held it in her hand. "This is thy sheath;" she whispered, looking it over carefully before thrusting it towards her body. "There rust, and let me die." She choked out before she let herself collapse on top of Tristan.

"I like this position, Gilmore." Tristan murmured. As non-discreet as she could, she poked him in the side. They remained perfectly still until the end. It was closing night, and it was a bit bittersweet. Especially now that she had extra time and didn't have a boyfriend to fill in. Not that she wanted one. She was still reeling from the whole Jeremy fiasco. She made her way out into the crowd and saw her mom jumping up and down next to Nick, grinning from ear to ear.

"My baby, that was _so_ good!" Lorelai squealed and wrapped Rory in a tight hug. When her mom released her, Nick took his mom's place and hugged her as well.

"Thanks for coming." Rory said, shyly.

"Please, and miss you kissing _that_?" Lorelai nodded towards Tristan, who was surrounded by girls. Rory blushed.

"Are you ready to go home, kiddo?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, umm…there's a cast party at Shayna's house. I'll sleepover and then I'll be home in the morning?" Lorelai nodded and hugged Rory once more.

"Have fun!"

"Bye Rory!" Nick waved and turned. Rory sighed and turned towards the crowd, many people coming up to her and giving her high praises and compliments. One woman commented on how lucky she was to kiss Tristan. Rory smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Rory! Excellent job!" Shayna said as she stopped in front of her.

"Thanks, you too!" They hugged.

"Do you need a ride to my house?"

"Yea, that would be great."

"Sure, just give me like 5 minutes. I have to find the rest of the cast and make sure they have directions or travel arrangements. Wait here." Rory nodded and stood still.

Thirty minutes later and they arrived at Shayna's house. Rory's eyes enlarged at the site. It was really a mansion.

"This place is huge." Rory said. Shayna rolled her eyes.

"I know, it's horrible. There are 7 bedrooms, 5 ½ baths, and there's a pool house out back with more of both. Obnoxious, huh?" Rory gave a slight nod of her head and followed her to the door where a few other cast members were already waiting. Her parents were already home and had set up all of the food and drinks.

Soon the party was underway and loud chatter was overheard throughout the house. Some people even ventured into the pool, even though it was cold outside. Rory was in the middle of a conversation with Tristan, Austin, and Eve, another cast member, when her phone rang. Noticing her face, Tristan furrowed his eyebrows.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know…it's a Massachusetts number." Rory excused herself and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Rory." She froze when she heard the voice. She opened her mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

"Aren't you going to say hi back?" She kept breathing, trying to sort this out in her head.

"How are you calling me, Jeremy?"

"From a phone."

"In jail?"

He laughed. "Yes, we have phones here." He paused. "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't moved on."

"Moved on?"

"Yes, with _Tristan_. That little fucker." His voice sounded malicious.

"No I'm not with him."

"Good, because you're mine and I'm going to claim what's mine when I get out of this hell hole."

"Jeremy, it's over. I'm not going to wait for you to get out of jail and I'm _not_ going to date a murderer."

"You should heed my advice. Rebecca wanted to move on and look at her now. Six feet under with my initials carved into her. _Mine_ forever."

Chills ran through her body.

"What do you _want_ from me?" She said through clenched teeth.

"For you to love me for forever." He said it so nonchalantly, Rory wasn't sure she was still talking to Jeremy.

"How could I love you when you murdered someone?"

"Because I'm the only one who will ever love you. Simple. You're worthless." Her stomach fell. Tears spilled from her eyes. Even in jail he was manipulating her. She thanked whatever gods there were when she heard footsteps behind her. When she saw it was Tristan, she thanked those gods even more.

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered into her phone. Tristan realized who was on the phone and his eyes widened.

"Because I can. Because you've always wanted to please me, and this is no different." She gasped for air. She heard background noise through the phone.

"Go to hell! I hate you and I will _never_ be yours again." Tristan promptly took the phone away from her.

"Listen, you piece of shit. Rory is one of the most amazing girls I've ever met. If you ever threaten her again—no, if you ever contact or talk to her again you will never see the outside again. You hear me?"

Jeremy wasn't prepared to hear Tristan's seething voice. He tried to recover quickly. "So now she's got you to do her dirty work?" Jeremy chuckled.

"No, she has someone who cares enough about her to not let her deal with fucking douche bags like you. Enjoy prison, shit bag." He ended the call and handed it back to Rory.

"You need to get a restraining order against him." Was all he said before he walked away. He walked up the stairs before she started after him.

"Tristan, wait!" He didn't stop. "Tristan! Where are you going?" She tried to get in front of him, but he didn't stop walking. He went into a guest bedroom and sat on the bed. She bit her lip and closed the door behind her before sitting on the bed next to him.

"I don't know why you're so mad at me." The defeat in her voice made him look up. Her make up from the play was running down her cheeks. He found a tissue box on the nightstand and handed her a few.

"I'm not mad at you. I just feel lost. I have so little control when it comes to you. Jeremy calling you scared the shit out of me."

"You have a lot more than you think." She said quietly. "I wouldn't have gone to the police if you weren't there with me."

"These last, what, six months have turned my life around. You have never left my head and I always think about you. I don't know what it is, but I just feel so damn protective of you and I shouldn't feel that way because you're not even mine." He calmed down.

"I could be."

He looked at her dubiously. "You just broke up with a murderer. You're not ready to date anyone else yet."

"Don't be so presumptuous. If it weren't for Jeremy, you would have been the one I wanted." He looked into her eyes and only saw raw emotion. She was scared. He could tell.

"I can't help you heal. I don't know how to help you get through this."

She took his hand in hers. "That's okay," she whispered. "I've realized these past few weeks how much you mean to me. Just having you in my life is enough, Tristan." His eyes closed and he shook his head.

"Are you sure I'm enough?"

She smiled. "Are you sure _I'm_ enough?" She retorted.

A smile crossed his moistened lips. "What a stupid thing to ask." He pulled her head towards his and crushed his lips against hers. Immediate butterflies erupted inside her stomach and she turned her body to be closer to him. He ran his hand down her back. She pulled herself closer against him, sighing into his mouth.

He shifted her so he was hovering on top of her in the bed. He broke the kiss and looked down at her. Her face was slightly flushed. "Worthless? No. Worth everything. Simple."

"You heard him?"

He nodded. "Kiss me, Tristan." He let out a soft moan and brought his head back down to hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Days passed. Weeks passed. Rory and Tristan became a couple officially. Then months passed. Jeremy was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced for life in prison. Rory was granted her restraining order against Jeremy. Shayna and Kyle decided to give dating a try.

A year passed. Colleges were applied to. They were rejected and they were accepted. Tristan applied early decision to Yale and was accepted. Nick decided on Cornell. Austin decided on Oberlin for the acting conservatory. Shayna and Kyle chose Dartmouth. Evan decided college wasn't for him yet and was taking a gap year to travel the world with his brother. Rory, whose dream was always Harvard, decided Boston wasn't somewhere she could be anymore and chose Yale instead. Tristan being there was a bit of a factor too.

Then high school graduation happened. At the graduation parties, they sang "Graduation" by Vitamin C. Tears were shed, but mostly happiness was shared. They were about to embark on a new adventure. Separately, but at the same time they would always be together. They even had tattoos to symbolize their connection.

A year into Rory and Tristan's time at Yale, they decided they were it for each other. Five years later, they got married. Seven years later, Rory didn't feel so well.

"Tristan!" Rory called through the house. She knew he hadn't left for work yet. She heard him in the kitchen and went to join him. She grinned and kissed him.

"Good morning!"

"You are very cheery this morning. Did you drink coffee before I woke up or something?" He teased her. She shook her head and held out her hand.

"What's this?" He picked up the skinny pen like object.

Her eyes were sparkling. "I'm pregnant." He pulled her close into a hug.

"Now _that_ is the best news I've ever heard." He pulled back to give her a deep kiss, the same sparkle now adorning his eyes as well.

**A/N: Weeee! OK, one more chapter. But that'll mostly be fluffy and a wrap up chapter. Ok, now's the time to tell me if I need to write anything else in this story! Thank you all for sticking with me for the last 7 years? Eek. Love you all! **


	11. Parkway

Laws Of The Less Traveled Road

I own Austin, Kyle, Evan, Shayna, and Nick. Gilmore Girls is not mine.

Pairing: Trory

I hope you enjoy :)

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"Come on Rory. Push!" Rory closed her eyes and let out a small scream and she pushed one last time. Quiet cries could be heard in the small room. When she saw the newborn fully in the doctor's hands, she collapsed back onto the bed, breathing deeply. Tristan leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Once again, nicely done." The doctor nodded and smiled. Rory barely managed a smile back.

"No more." She said pointedly to Tristan. He nodded frantically. "Had I known you were going to knock me up this many times, I wouldn't have agreed to marry you."

"If you say that one more time…" Tristan playfully threatened. She grinned up at him.

"We're going to have to buy a minivan, you know." Tristan frowned.

"What about one of those really manly trucks?" Rory shook her head, dismissing his idea. He huffed.

"Here you are, Mrs. Dugrey." The nurse leaned down and handed Rory the small child. She held the child against her chest, staring down at baby.

"Hi Isabel." Rory cooed.

"She doesn't look like a Isabel." Tristan grumbled. He'd lost the naming battle for this child.

"She'll grow into it. You'll see." The two parents stared down at the newborn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mommy. Mommy." The little boy stared at his mom's sleeping form, continuously poking her. "Moooommmmyyyyyyyyy." He gave Rory a shove.

She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "Eli, are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Max is keeping me awake. He's reading and won't turn off his light." Rory frowned and turned her head to see that Tristan was still awake. She sighed and pulled the covers back, following Eli towards his room. True to Eli's word, Max was staring intently at the book in his hands. Eli climbed back into bed.

"Hey Max, what are you reading about?"

"Some story." She caught a glimpse of the title but didn't recognize it.

"Honey, it's after 1am. You need to go to sleep. You can read this in the morning." He shook his head rapidly.

"But I want to finish it!" Rory shook her head.

"You're keeping Eli awake and this commotion is going to wake your sisters up." Max frowned.

"Can I just read till the end of the chapter?" Rory smiled softly and nodded.

"Yes. Eli, is that okay with you?"

"Fine." He said grumpily. For a 4 year old, he was pretty verbose except when he was angry. He was a bit like Tristan in that regard. He tended to carry his burdens by himself. Rory smiled and got up after kissing Max's head. She kissed Eli's and headed toward the door.

"Goodnight boys."

"Goodnight mommy." They both murmured. She walked down the hallway and stopped at the entrance of the girls' room. They were fast asleep. She was walking back towards her room when the phone rang. Her eyes shot open and she ran to her bedroom to pick up the phone before it woke up the baby.

"Hello?" She asked, breathily. She looked to her side to see that Tristan had gone to sleep.

"Rory Gilmore?"

"Yes, this is she. Is everything okay?" A million thoughts were going through her head. The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Ohh, on the contrary Rory. Everything is _not_ okay. You see, I've been on really good behavior so I can make a phone call once a week and I chose you!" The voice sounded gleeful. Rory's jaw slackened and she unconsciously moved her hand to grasp Tristan's. She squeezed it hard, waking him in the process.

"Oww, baby that hurts." He mumbled tiredly.

"How did you get this number?" She tried to keep a steady voice.

"You're in the phone book!" He laughed. It sounded icy.

"Rory, baby, that hurts." Tristan said, more awake now, trying to loosen her fingers that were around his in a vice grip.

"Jeremy, what do you want from me? I haven't heard from you or anything about you in fifteen years."

Tristan sat up in bed, staring intently at her. Chills were sweeping through his body. Rory released his hand when he wrapped his arms around her.

"You ruined my fucking life." Rory moved the phone between her and Tristan so he could hear as well. "I thought I'd get parole by now but apparently they really didn't like how I murdered that slut and whatever I had in the works for you."

"In the works for me?"

"Not important."

"This is against the law. I have a restraining order against you!" Rory gasped.

"Woops." She could hear him breathe. "Have a good night Rory." The phone disconnected. She whipped her head towards Tristan, wide eyed. Then she broke down. He gathered her in his arms and took the phone from her. He called the police, explaining what had just happened. They promised to look into it and have a detective return the call in the morning.

He slowly rocked her back and forth, hushing her hysterics. A light crying started from beside their bed. Isabel had woken up. Rory hung her head in defeat and took the baby from Tristan's hold. She pulled down her nightgown and waited for Isabel to latch on before looking back at Tristan.

"What am I going to do?" She whispered.

He shrugged. "He's still in jail. Don't let it get to you."

She sighed. "You're right. We live far away from him." He nodded and rubbed her back. "He just wrecked havoc in my life back then and it's a chapter in my life I never want to remember."

"I know."

"What if he hurts one of the kids?" He could see the alarm in her eyes.

"Even if he was given a new sentence, he's still on surveillance. He can't cross state borders."

"Lawyer Tristan." She said, with a weak smile.

"I gotta make enough money for all those kids. There are _so_ many!" He said, jokingly.

"You're telling me! I had to push them all out."

There was a pause.

"I could get a vasectomy." She turned her body towards him fully.

"I could get my tubes tied."

He shook his head. "It's an outpatient procedure for me and it would only take about 20 minutes. It'd be more in depth for you. Plus, you're breastfeeding now. I don't want to put your body through any more stress." She looked at him with adoration.

"We could always stop having sex." His face made her words worth it.

"Hell fucking no." Her eyes widened. "I don't care how many babies we have, I will _never_ stop making love to you."

"If I get pregnant again, I'm not getting rid of any of my kids…I'm getting rid of you." She teased. Tristan took the baby from her arms and placed her back in the bassinet. He crawled back onto the bed and towards her.

"You'd regret that fairly soon, I think."

"You think so? I don't think so."

He grinned and placed his hand between her legs, moving his fingers into her pajama shorts. She let out a soft moan. "Still don't think so?"

"No, you win." She leaned against him, filled with sensations. He grinned evilly and pushed her back against the bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Morning light streamed through the windows. Tristan squinted and looked at the clock. It was 7am. He sighed and got out of bed, padding down the hall and seeing Eli, Max, and Sofie sitting on the couch watching cartoons.

"Morning daddy!" Sofie greeted and jumped up, running towards him. He picked her up and gave her a kiss on the head. She was definitely a daddy's girl, although she was also only 6.

"Where's your sister?"

"Amelia's playing with her Barbie's." Sofie volunteered. Tristan nodded.

"Are you guys hungry? Your mom is still sleeping. I don't think we want to wake her up yet." The 3 kids shook their heads. They knew how grumpy their mom could be if woken up.

"Can we have pancakes, daddy?" Sofie asked, batting her eyelashes. Tristan had to laugh. His kids got far too many of his genes in his, and Rory's, opinion. Him and Rory were going to be in trouble when the kids got older.

"I want chocolate chips!" Eli shouted.

Max pushed him. "Eli, the baby is sleeping. Stop being a shouty-mouth." Eli pushed him back.

"Hey boys, knock it off." Tristan said quietly, but sternly. Both boys let their hands fall to their sides. Tristan made himself busy making breakfast for the family. As he prepared the food, he let his mind wander to the phone call Rory had received. It was for that very reason that Tristan was letting her sleep as long as she could. He wanted her to think about it as little as possible.

It had been almost 15 years since either of them had thought about him and almost 20 since he had actually been in their lives. This sudden phone call had the power to knock Rory off her axis.

His thinking was interrupted by two sets of footsteps. One was light and scampering and the other was slower and more deliberate. He saw Amelia glide in, in a flash of pink pajamas. A present for Lorelai, no doubt. Next he saw Rory come in, Isabel cocooned in her arms. He put his arm out and she walked to him and leaned against his side.

"Morning, baby. You ok?" He kissed her forehead. She nodded slowly. "I don't have any meetings until 3pm. I thought we might go into the station." She nodded again and took the bag of chocolate chips and poured half the bag into the mixing bowl. Tristan rolled his eyes. He was prepared to temporarily refuse being the father while the kids were all hyped up on sugar.

"Mommy, can I hold Isabel?" Eli asked eagerly.

"Yes, but come sit down." She led the child to the sofa and placed the baby on Eli's lap, helping him with how to hold Isabel's head.

Two hours later, the kids were running around the house, yelling as they went. Rory had already put 2 bandaids on Max and Sofie each. Tristan gave Rory a look. She grinned and shrugged.

"I will not deny my children the greatness that is chocolate. Or coffee."

"Watch it, missy. You'll pay for that in a few years." Tristan pointed at her, smirking. A knock at the door interrupted them. They saw Sofie and Eli shoot passed them, skidding to the door. It didn't take long to know who it was.

"Nana!" Sofie shrieked and jumped into Lorelai's arms.

"Rory, why don't you do this anymore?" Lorelai asked, carrying Sofie to the living room where everyone else was.

"Because I'm not 6?"

"Alright, so you have everything under control?" Tristan asked, retying Amelia's dress, which had come undone from all of the running around. She was further developed than most 2 year olds, but still got a bit rough handled with two older brothers.

"Please, I was born for this. Just no more, please." Lorelai winked. Rory rolled her eyes and picked up the diaper bag for Isabel.

"We should be back by early afternoon. We're meeting with a lawyer and some police staff."

"Good thing your husband isn't a lawyer."

"It's different, mom. You know that."

"I do. Good luck, honey." Lorelai hugged her daughter and gave Tristan a tight hug as well.

"Be good, everyone. If nana tells me any of you misbehaved there won't be anymore chocolate pancakes for a whole month!" Rory said pointedly. The 4 kids nodded in comprehension. "Ok, come on." Rory looked at Tristan, who followed her outside. He took the diaper bag from her and put it in the backseat while Rory put Isabel in the car seat.

Once Rory and Tristan were both seated in the car, Tristan let out a deep sigh. "Silence." He murmured. Rory gave him a playful nudge. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"We'll get this all worked out, I promise."

"I know I just really don't need this added stress." He saw a teardrop fall down her cheek. "I had trouble this morning." She swallowed noisily.

"Trouble?" He steered the car onto the main street.

"I didn't have enough milk this morning. It's lucky that I pump, too." Tristan grabbed Rory's hand and squeezed it. In the past when Rory felt great stress, she wasn't able to produce as much milk. The doctor was only worried for the baby's sake, which is why the doctor suggested that she pump on a semi-regular basis.

Moments later, they pulled into the police station where they would be meeting with a police officer and a lawyer that specialized in criminal cases and witness protection. Tristan shook the lawyers hand and made quick small talk, having met many times before for business reasons. He introduced Rory, who awkwardly shook his hand while trying to hoist Isabel up more onto her hip at the same time.

"Please, let's sit." The officer said and shut the door of the meeting room behind them. They complied.

"So Rory, technically your restraint order is no longer valid. This type is only acceptable for 10 year increments." Jordan, the lawyer said.

"So he can't be penalized for calling me?"

"Not really, seeing as he didn't break any laws. However, the court never takes these kinds of matters lightly and it is highly frowned upon that he called you. That being said, I would suggest we put in a request for a lifetime restraining order and have Jeremy re-tried."

"His own lawyers could get his sentence lessened that way." Tristan piped up.

"This is true in most cases, however, his original sentence was life without chance for parole. We also have the advantage of bringing in the new evidence."

"New evidence?"

"Well it's old by now, but new to the case. As far as I can tell from the paperwork, it was never introduced because he was given life without needing it."

"And what is this new evidence?" Rory asked, tentatively. Jordan looked at Tristan carefully before looking at Rory. He looked back down to the documentation in front of him.

"Journals mostly."

"Journals of what?" Rory held her breath after asking the question.

"Mrs. Dugrey, I think it would be highly unwise for you to know what was in those journals." Jeremy's words from the night before rang in her ears, _'…apparently they really didn't like how I murdered that slut and whatever I had in the works for you.' _

_Whatever I had in the works for you_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a week and a half after the phone call that Tristan received a phone call from Jordan.

"Hey Tristan."

"Jordan, tell me something good." Tristan stopped what he was doing and paid attention to the phone call. He wasn't used to personal calls at work and they always made him overly attentive.

"Your whole family, extending to Rory's parents, was approved for the long-term restraining order."

"What are the conditions?"

"Everything I could think of. Phone calls, writing, indirect contact of any kind, and of course visits."

"Great! And the retrial?"

"His lawyer decided not to go through with it based on our new evidence. They really didn't have a chance. Instead, we've convinced them to agree to a private agreement where a judge looks over the information again with the new evidence. I got his ruling this morning."

"Good, I hope?"

"He's been given a double life sentence without chance for parole for either. All privileges have been revoked and he's being transferred to a higher security prison." Tristan's eyes closed in relief.

"Thank you, Jordan. You don't realize how much this means to me and my family."

"I think I do. Maryann told me Rory was having trouble lactating because of it?" Tristan rolled his eyes. Maryann was Jordan's wife and was in the same playgroup circle as Rory.

"Yea, that's true. I took off a day earlier this week so Rory could have a day by herself to just do whatever she wanted. Perhaps it wasn't as relaxing as it could have been since she had to bring Isabel with her, but I think it worked. She's smiling again, which is a blessing."

"Most definitely. Well I don't want to keep you, just wanted to call with the good news."

"Thank you, Jordan."

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"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy BIIIIRTHDAAAAAYYYY dear Isabel, happy birthday to you!"

"Make a big wish Ellie!" Rory said, hovering over her daughter to help to blow out the candles. When the big "2" candle was blown out, everyone cheered. Isabel giggled hysterically as people blew on their birthday horns and cheered for her.

After the last guest left and Rory and Tristan were in bed alone, they finally had a chance to breathe. "It's been a good 2 years." Rory said, reflecting.

Tristan agreed. "A wonderful 2 years."

"Can we have a date night soon? We haven't had one in a long time." Her words were true. It had been months since the two of them had really had a night to themselves.

"Do you think Lorelai would want 5 kids under the age of 10 at her house for a night?"

"I think she'd love it!" Rory grinned. He scoffed and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck.

"Are you pregnant?" She turned her head and looked at him like he had 3 heads.

"What?"

"I want another boy and if we're keeping up with the trend, you need to be pregnant now or giving birth soon."

"Tristan, we have 5 kids." He kissed her neck.

"I know. But 6 is so even and we already have a mini van."

"But 7 is a prime number." She retorted.

"But 8 is a good number for sitting at a table. No uneven sides." His logic was faulty and he knew it.

"If this is your persuasion tactic for your clients, I really feel bad for them. You have no right to charge a small fortune when you can't even adequately persuade your wife into having another baby." He grinned and lightly bit her neck. His hand slid up her shirt.

"It's not. They're much easier to convince."

"So I'm a hard ass?"

"A little." She laughed and pushed her body against his.

"Well you never got that vasectomy."

"No, other things happened." She knew exactly what he was talking about.

They were quiet for a few minutes. "I haven't gotten my period in 6 weeks." He looked at her face and then her hands. She had 6 fingers up, having just counted the weeks.

"Oops." Tristan smiled and leaned down to kiss her stomach.

"Do we have enough money for this, Tristan? I thought we agreed no more kids."

"We have plenty of money, plus my bonus this year will be hefty. As for the kids' part, we did but I think your body just stores my sperm for when an egg is dispatched. No other explanation for how many times I've gotten you pregnant. If you really are pregnant now, it will be absurd."

"9 times?" Tristan nodded. Over the years, she'd had 3 miscarriages early on in pregnancies. "Maybe we just have sex too much," she teased. He tackled her.

"No such thing." He lowered his face to hers and caught her lips on his.

They hadn't heard a thing from Jeremy since the one phone call 2 years before and they would never hear from him again. He was a thing of the past, a nightmare if you will. It was quite the journey to get where they are now. They had traveled many roads and paths to lead them to this point. It could have gone so many other ways, but luckily everything turned out for the best.

The group from high school still remained in touch with each other despite the years and the distance. Nick was a constant presence in their lives, bringing his own 3 children around often to play with their first cousins. Things were going well for everyone but if you put the time into the journey, your wanted destination will show itself no matter how untraveled the road is to get there.

_A/N: Well, I think that's it. Horrible ending, but I was really at a loss as to what to do. I started this story at a very different point in my life and so much of it was no longer relevant for me._

_As for the internet dating thing, I feel like I need to briefly address it. Some of the happiest couples I know met online. Even I met a boyfriend online, and even though it didn't work out, we still keep in touch. Just be careful. Take the time to get to know people before you let them into every part of your life. And always, always, always get help if he, or she, is demonstrating strange behavior or abuses you either emotionally or physically. You're _worth_ the best._

_Ok, getting off my pedestal now. Thank you SO SO much to everyone who has read this and who has stuck by me. I can't thank you guys enough. Love, Kiki 3_


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